Fractured Bonds
by Buffybot
Summary: Sequel to "Bonds". Tahiri continues to develop her abilities but not without there being consequences; Anakin finds out the cause of his visions and Nom Anor tries a different set of tactics to wreak havoc within the newly formed Galactic Alliance.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back - finally. Sorry, for the longer than expected delay for the sequel but I did some major rewriting of later chapters and didn't want to start posting until I sorted all that out. I'm hoping to stick to weekly updates, but bear with me if it takes a little longer sometimes. Happy reading!_

_'M' Rating is for content in Chapters 2 & 4. Outside of that the rating is 'T'._

* * *

_Takes place 3 months after the events in "Bonds"_

Chapter One

Tahiri Veila concentrated on keeping her mind clear, allowing herself to focus on what needed to be done. Her mentor had pointed out recently that there were two areas she was seriously lacking in and needed to improve – discipline and focus. It wasn't as if she didn't already know those were two of her bigger flaws, but it had been brought to light even more so when Corran Horn had put together a rigorous training regimen for her. She felt she had made considerable improvements over the last several weeks and her efforts had not gone unnoticed by the Jedi Master. Since she had upheld her end of their agreement – complete and utter focus on her Jedi training – he had agreed to let her start exploring her _healing_ powers again.

Cighal had joined them on Dagobah for those first couple of weeks. Master Horn felt there was no one better suited to help Tahiri hone her abilities – even though what she was doing couldn't really be considered healing. Where Cighal would use the Force to diagnosis injuries and illness before attempting to heal the inflicted individual, Tahiri's body would simply take on whatever was ailing the other person. While Tahiri's method healed the person, her body would be marked with whatever the affliction until her body had time to heal itself, which was remarkably fast.

It was her shaping that made it all possible. The re-mapping of her nervous system made it so she could absorb the pain of others. She had an inhuman tolerance for pain, embraced it even. That was the one thing she had hid from Master Horn in the beginning. As much as she complained loudly about his strictness, he was the only Jedi Master who didn't seem to write her off as a complete freak and was willing to spend the time to get her Jedi training back on track. She didn't want to disappoint him any more than she knew she already had. One condition he had imposed on her was that she never lie to him again. So she had grudgingly told him how it made her feel to use the Yuuzhan Vong side of herself to absorb pain. She thought he would have been disgusted with her but she had only felt understanding from the Jedi Master. Aside from Anakin, Corran was the only person who never made her feel like she was an abomination that should be locked away – or studied.

For that reason, she tried to be less of a pain in the ass and more of a model student – but it wasn't always easy. Fortunately, Corran seemed to have the patience of a Jedi saint. She briefly wondered what would happen if that patience ran out one day before purging the thought from her mind. She needed to concentrate – focus all her energy on saving the wounded Sleen she held in her hands.

_It's a worthless task. There is nothing to gain from saving such a useless creature._

Tahiri willed the scathing voice in her head to be silent. This was _so_ not what she needed right now.

One of the side effects of using her new found abilities was it caused her Yuuzhan Vong self to emerge. The first time it had happened when she had been trying to cure Jacen from the Sickness – an Imperial made virus, altered by the Yuuzhan Vong, which basically turned a person into a zombie. Since then, any time she drew on her _healing_ powers, her Yuuzhan Vong personality would force its way to the surface. If that wasn't bad enough, that side of her subconscious seemed to be gaining in control. It was no longer just about dark impulses and spewing out random Yuuzhan Vong phrases. No, this part of her subconscious had been awakened and didn't want to be pushed back down. Her alter ego also had a name now – Riina Kwaad – the Yuuzhan Vong persona that had been embedded in her during her shaping.

Tahiri fought to bury Riina back into her subconscious but Riina was strong and would not be easily silenced.

_Your acceptance of pain and the glory that comes with it is admirable – no longer do you fight it as you once did. You bring honor to Domain Kwaad, your true family._

_NO! I am Tahiri Veila. My parents were Tryst and Cassa Veila – _

Riina made a derisive noise. _Your attachment to your former infidel life is what hinders you from embracing who you are now. Why must you hold on to it? Those around you know you are different – changed for the better. No longer are you a silly girl with no real skill, following after Anakin Solo like a vrrip – _

"No!"

Hands were shaking Tahiri, bringing her back from the depths of her mind. Corran was leaning over, his expression of deep seated concern and not for the first time that day.

"I think that's enough."

Tahiri shook her head, breathing hard. "I just need a minute and then I can try again."

"No." Corran's voice was firm this time.

"Fine," Tahiri conceded. "We'll try again tomorrow –"

"No, this little experiment is over," Corran cut in, ignoring the defiant look in Tahiri's eyes. "These last few days almost every time you've tried to use your powers Riina has surfaced. It's not altogether surprising considering your abilities are directly linked to your shaping. The more you draw on your ability to heal the more you draw on Riina and then she becomes the one in control."

Tahiri looked away from the Jedi Master, saying nothing. She had no counter argument when the evidence against her was all too apparent. She was starting to second guess her decision to tell him about the more dominant her Yuuzhan Vong side had become, so much so that Riina seemed as real to her as was Corran hunched down in front of her.

"I said I would do everything I could to help you come to terms with your shaping," Corran continued, his tone gentler. "But _this_ isn't helping you. It's just making things worse. Not to mention the fact that the emergence of Riina is a further complication. Tahiri, you've told me how using this power makes you feel. You want to feel pain – and once it starts you can't get enough of it. It's like an addiction and it's not good for you."

She still wouldn't look at him but it was more out of shame than anything else. Corran was the only person she had confided in regarding her obsession with pain. It was something she was too ashamed to share even with Anakin. He knew she had a higher tolerance for it now but not the extent to which she thrived on it. He had seen her at her worst – waking up in the middle of the night screaming or sudden bursts of violence – but this was something she kept guarded from him. It wasn't easy considering the bond they shared, but since her shaping there was a small, darker part of her mind that she could lock away the most shameful and disgusting parts that made up Riina.

"You shouldn't use these powers of yours. Not on any creature and definitely not on a human – that includes Jacen Solo."

Tahiri's head snapped around. There was a knowing look on Corran's face and she didn't know why she was surprised. She had never openly expressed her desire to heal Anakin's brother but it wouldn't be much of a stretch for him to guess that's what she was working up to. She had failed to heal him the first time – she hadn't been strong enough and the virus had spread too quickly. All she had been capable of doing was preventing it from taking over him fully so he could be placed in carbonite until a cure could be found.

"What you need to do is find a balance between Tahiri Veila and Riina Kwaad," Corran said to her. "Until you can do that Riina will find a way to come through when you're most vulnerable. Like when you're upset or angry and not in control of your emotions. This is not only a necessary step in your training but also in coming to terms with your shaping."

"How did I know you were going to say that?" Tahiri muttered.

"Because I am a wise Jedi Master," Corran said, cracking a smile.

Tahiri quirked an eyebrow at him. Though many times in the past it seemed like the ex-CorSec officer had no sense of humor, the weeks they'd spent training together seemed to have changed that. Now that she was dutifully following his rules and they had established a solid student-teacher relationship, he seemed, well, almost human.

"Anyways, don't you have a holo date starting soon?"

She blushed. It was times like this she longed for the old humorless Jedi Master. It had actually been his idea that they stay in touch while she was away. Corran might be all about rules and following a strict training regimen but at least he seemed to understand how difficult it was for them to be separated. Until leaving for Dagobah, she hadn't been separated from Anakin for more than a few hours since his rescue of her on Yavin Four.

Before coming to Dagobah, Corran had worked with the both of them to build up what he liked to call a 'tolerance' of being away from one other for prolonged periods. It took weeks before they worked out all the kinks and Corran was satisfied neither would pass out once they were in different star systems. One of the unforeseen consequences of her unknowingly merging her Force energies with Anakin to save his life on Myrkr. Their connection was still as strong as ever but there was no longer a concern that one might be influencing the other.

As much as she had learned during her time away, recently it had been difficult to distract herself from the fact that she would be reunited with Anakin in a few days time. The holo chats several times a week certainly helped but it wasn't the same as being with him. She missed him terribly but knew leaving with Corran to continue her training had been the right thing to do.

Choosing not to comment on Corran's remark, she made her way to their ship where Anakin would be calling her shortly.

[*[*[*[*[*[

If not for the simple fact that he was Yuuzhan Vong, Nom Anor would have described what he was feeling as happiness. But that emotion was not something to be displayed publicly and certainly not in front of his subordinates. His face remained a mask as he listened to the warrior speak. There was no sense jumping the gun – to borrow an infidel expression – until he had all the facts.

"He is being kept in a remote but secure section of the ship," the heavily tattooed warrior reported. "Mechanical abominations guard the area."

"There are no doubt other security systems in place as well," Nom Anor mused.

The warrior merely inclined his head in silent agreement.

Nom Anor pressed his thin lips together as he contemplated this report. "How many Jedi are currently onboard the _Ralroost_?"

"At least a dozen that our operative is aware of. However, he is fairly certain most will disperse on various missions over the course of the next several days."

"I see."

Nom Anor had learned long ago not to underestimate the Jedi, unlike his superiors. Although the Yuuzhan Vong had made great headway in their conquest of this galaxy, the Jedi – as small as their numbers were – continued to be a painful thorn in the side of Yun-Yuuzhan. He was certain without the Jedi their conquest of this galaxy would already be complete and any remaining infidels would have either surrendered or been turned into worker slaves.

If he could retrieve Jacen Solo there was no doubt in Nom Anor's mind that his siblings would come for him. Devotion to one's family was as strong in the infidels as it was in the Yuuzhan Vong. It was that single trait that Nom Anor's entire plan was riding on.

Just as skilled as he was at deception, Nom Anor was also a pragmatist. There was every possibility that the kidnapping of Solo would be thwarted by the Jedi – as was his experience in each of his previous encounters with them. That was why he had a backup plan. It wouldn't get him what he wanted right away but he had waited far too long for this opportunity to let anything ruin it.

He had been avoiding any recent communication attempts by Supreme Overlord Shimrra. No doubt he would be looking for an update on Nom Anor's activities, and while he saw no flaws with his current plan, he did not want to reveal anything just yet. Furthermore, Shimrra might order him not to carry out his plan – or worse yet, put someone else in charge. Shimrra had made it painfully clear Nom Anor's usefulness was wearing thin. The Supreme Overlord was still very disappointed over his multiple failures at Myrkr – namely allowing the Solo twins to slip right through his fingers and the destruction of the voxyn queen by the Jedi strike team the two were a part of.

Nom Anor was very confident he could pull off his latest plan, especially with all the precautions he had taken. One way or another, Shimrra would get the Solo's and Nom Anor would be rewarded for his loyalty. Once his plan was in motion, he would contact the Supreme Overlord. It would happen soon. Very soon.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Jaina Solo hesitated before walking into one of the_ Ralroost's_ locker rooms that was dedicated to the fighter squadrons. She knew what she wanted to say to him but it wasn't as easy as that. She wasn't just his commanding officer – she was his sister too. If it were anyone else she would have pulled them aside the moment they docked and demanded an explanation. But this was Anakin. She never played favorites but with his confidence already fragile she needed to tread carefully with him.

Knowing she needed to just go in there and get it over with, she did just that. The room was pretty much empty, which was good because she didn't want an audience for this. She would wait until the last few stragglers left before engaging her brother. That included the blue-skinned Twi'lek standing next to him.

Jaina frowned. Not for the first time she regretted letting Anakin talk her into allowing Alema into Rogue Squadron. It had been a weak moment on her part – and she didn't have many of those. Tahiri had left with Corran to continue her training and Anakin was miserable. Since Jaina had a few openings she had offered her brother a spot within her squadron. Much like Kyp had tried to give his confidence a boost several months earlier, she had been trying to do the same thing then. Plus, Anakin was an amazing pilot and his skills seemed to be going to waste with whatever random missions he was sent on.

Anakin accepted but had also suggested she ask Alema to join. She had balked at the idea. Alema seemed to be unsteady at the best of times and she had never even seen her fly. There was also the little annoying fact that her only other hobby outside of killing Yuuzhan Vong seemed to be flirting with her little brother. That in itself was almost enough for her to dismiss the idea altogether – purely out of principle. She had promised Tahiri she would look out for Anakin while she was gone – but they were short on pilots so she let Alema try out.

Much to her dismay Alema had been one of the best pilots who tried out. Her flying style was a little chaotic and unorthodox but being unpredictable would keep her alive in battle. Since she seemed to have a problem with authority Jaina's one condition had been that the Twi'lek follow her orders. If she was insubordinate Jaina would kick her out without hesitation. She wouldn't let anyone disrupt the squadron she had rebuilt herself – each of the pilots handpicked by her. So far, Alema had behaved herself and she had a sneaking suspicion Anakin had a lot to do with it.

Both Anakin and Alema turned, sensing Jaina's approach.

"Serious squadron leader heading this way," Alema said with a smirk.

"That's how I've managed to stay alive this long," Jaina responded smoothly. "I need to talk to my brother. _Alone_." She didn't want to continue to banter with Alema. She just wanted to speak to Anakin and then have a hot shower before she had to start planning next week's rotation.

Alema, sensing the seriousness of Jaina's mood, said goodbye to Anakin and left.

"Does she always have to stand that close to you?" Jaina said when she knew Alema was out of earshot.

"_Jaina_," Anakin groaned, sounding embarrassed.

"What? It was just a simple question."

Anakin switched gears then, saying, "I'm guessing you want to talk about the mission?"

Since he had already picked up on her reason for being there she figured there was no point in dancing around the subject. "You hesitated out there."

"I didn't have a clean shot."

"I've seen you make plenty of shots that would be next to impossible for anyone else – Jedi or not. This one wasn't even half as difficult."

"I told you I didn't have a clean shot," he repeated, sounding defensive. "There were too many of our fighters nearby. If the Yuuzhan Vong ship had blown up it would have taken all those fighters along with it."

"Everyone knew what the plan was," Jaina said to him. "Those fighters knew they needed to get clear – we even gave a warning. You almost waited too long – a split second longer and the Vong cruiser would have had its defenses back up and we would have been in a Sith load of trouble."

"I get it. I just about screwed up and it would have cost us the battle. I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

"I didn't come here looking for an apology."

"Then what?"

_Here goes nothing_. "Your flying style has changed – it's more cautious. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing but for you it means you've lost your edge. Anakin, you are a great pilot – one of the best we have. You've got no reason to second guess any of the decisions you make out there. That's what's more dangerous than anything – self doubt. You put yourself and others at risk. You can't hesitate."

"Maybe joining the Rogues wasn't the right thing."

Jaina sighed but resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Of course that had to be his reaction. "Anakin – "

"Jaina, I get it. I'm your brother and you were trying to give me a new purpose since I have no idea what to do with myself."

"We're in the middle of a war, in case you haven't noticed," she snapped, losing her temper a little. "You led a couple of missions where things didn't go exactly as planned but the end results were the same – you achieved what you set out to do. In the military we call that a victory. I know you can't just put Myrkr or Valc behind you – that's not who you are – but you can't let it cripple you either."

Anakin turned away from his sister. "I don't need another speech about how all those Jedi deaths at Myrkr weren't the result of my reckless plan or the reason Jacen's stuck in carbonite isn't my fault."

"That's good because I can't tell you that," she said, watching his head snap back around in surprise. He clearly hadn't been expecting that response from her. "I can yell at you until I'm blue in the face but that won't change the fact that you don't believe it. Anakin, you are a good person who has had to make a lot of difficult choices that people twice your age never will. I just wish that for once you could focus on the good that you've done and not beat yourself up over the other things that happened." She wrapped her arms around her younger brother in a quick embrace, which he returned half-heartedly. "And you're not quitting the Rogues, so don't even try unless you want your big sister to make your life miserable."

That drew a small smile out of him as she had hoped it would. She also hoped it would be the last time they ever had to have a conversation like this – but knowing her little brother she had a feeling it wouldn't be.


	2. Chapter 2

_Warning: Anakin and Tahiri have their reunion at the end of this chapter. It's a little graphic, so just wanted to give anyone fair warning in case you want to skip it.  
_

* * *

Chapter Two

There was something to be said about having time for one's self when you were the ruler of sixty-three star systems. Though Tenal Ka never felt like she had taken her freedom for granted, she was ever grateful for those few peaceful moments where she could escape her responsibilities, hoards of well-wishers who were only interested in boosting their own status and not having to constantly look over her shoulder for potential assassination attempts. The foiled assassination plots would have almost been comical if she wasn't sickened by how members of her own family would sink to such a level just for a chance at being in power.

Tenal Ka sighed as she stared at the darkened holo screen in front of her. She had agreed to become the next Queen Mother in exchange for receiving military aid to protect Dathomir. What she had not foreseen was that there would be no one left to save upon her arrival. The deadly bioweapon Project I71A had been released on her mother's home planet, turning the once proud warriors of Dathomir into mindless drones who fed on other humans and would rise from the dead unless their heads were severed.

Since the start of the Yuuzhan Vong war Tenal Ka had seen many atrocities but none had shaken her so much as that. To have to slay her own people – including her own great-grandmother along with countless others that she considered to be as close as family – had been the most difficult thing she'd ever done. She still had the occasional nightmare about it but she would not talk about it with anyone. The only person she might have felt comfortable enough confiding in was frozen in carbonite with the same virus there was no known cure for.

As much as Tenal Ka tried not to think about it the reality was she had traded her life as a Jedi for one of scheming politics – and it had all been for nothing. There had been no survivors of the virus outbreak on Dathomir but that did not change the fact that she had pledged to take the throne in exchange for receiving Hapan aid. There had been no stipulations that it rested on there being anyone around to rescue.

Now she was alone and far away from her friends, tucked away in the relative safety of the Hapes Cluster while everyone else she knew was fighting on the front lines. Everyone else except Jacen Solo...

A light flashed on the holo console in front of her. It was the transmission she had been waiting for on her own secure and private channel.

The tired but grinning face of Jaina Solo appeared. "Hi Tenal Ka. So how many assassination attempts did you ward off today?"

"None. It was a slow day."

Jaina chuckled. "I guess that means you're in for a busy day tomorrow."

"We shall see."

Tenal Ka was relieved that Jaina did not harbor any ill will toward her for leaving. Initially, Jaina had been angered by her decision to assume the throne, wondering how she could just go back to Hapes as if Jacen wasn't encased in carbonite. In truth, Tenal Ka had no desire to leave her friends but she had given her word and the matter was out of her hands. Jaina was all too aware of that but she had been distraught over Jacen at the time. The rift between them had since repaired itself and now Jaina served as Tenal Ka's connection to everything that was going on with their friends and the war effort.

They rarely talked about Jacen and Tenal Ka never bothered to ask if there were any new developments in his condition. It seemed pointless. If there were Jaina would contact her immediately.

Jaina filled her in on the latest Rogue Squadron mission, upcoming battle plans based on the Yuuzhan Vong's current course and the larger role Jedi seemed to be playing within the Galactic Alliance and even the Imperial Remnant.

"It's strange," Jaina said with a shake of her head. "Being in Imperial Space and not having to worry about a Star Destroyer trying to take you out. That's not to say there haven't been incidents but for the most part the Imperials have been welcoming."

"No doubt because they feel indebted to the Jedi for solving their Project I71A problem."

Jaina nodded her agreement. "How are things on Hapes?"

"They are the same as they always were."

"That bad, huh?"

"It is nothing I am not used to."

The door chime to Tenal Ka's private chambers sounded. She resisted the urge to sigh but the look on her face didn't go unnoticed by her friend.

"Duty calls," said Jaina, her tone sympathetic.

"This is a fact."

"Well, don't keep your loyal subjects waiting," Jaina teased. "I have a briefing with Rogue Squadron shortly and then have to meet Jag afterward."

Jaina said it in a casual way but Tenal Ka had suspected for some time there might be more than simple friendship between her friend and the Claw craft pilot. Tenal Ka, however, wasn't one to pry so she didn't ask.

The two long-time friends said goodbye and then Tenal Ka went to see what matter of Hapan politics demanded her attention now.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Jagged Fel circled his opponent warily. Since his opponent could use the Force he displayed more caution than he normally would. One misstep and she would have him flat on his back - again.

He steadied his breathing, silently cursing himself for being so out of shape. Since his crash on Kalee several months earlier he had barely seen any space action. He spent the better part of two weeks in Bacta healing internal injuries and a broken leg, followed by intensive physiotherapy to strengthen his newly repaired leg. Since he didn't technically report to the Galactic Alliance there was no one to clear him for active duty save for himself. He had pushed himself too far the first time and it had landed him another stint in the medical center. He had taken it a little easier since then – but only just. Vanguard Squadron needed him. It was war so he didn't have the luxury of a long recovery.

He had been mildly surprised when Jaina Solo, his current opponent, had offered to help with his rehabilitation. At first, he had his doubts that she could really help with his conditioning. It was extremely unlikely she had experienced anything that resembled the vigorous training he had undergone during his time at the Chiss military academy. Jaina had quickly proved him wrong. While she may not have hid the same rigid training as him, one of her oldest friends was a Dathomirian warrior who had taught Jaina a thing or two over the years about hand-to-hand combat as well as strength and conditioning.

She proved to be a formidable training partner and there were times – like now – where Jag had a bit of difficulty keeping up with her. His pride insisted it was because he wasn't in peak physical form at the moment. He also didn't have the Force to sustain himself as Jaina did.

Jaina grinned at him. "Getting tired already, Colonel?"

"I feel perfectly fine. However, if you need a breather, I'm happy to take a short rest."

"I could keep going for hours," she said and charged at him.

_I had a feeling you were going to say that _Jag thought with an inward groan as he went on the defensive. He had always prided himself on having great stamina but sparring with a full fledged Jedi had just been asking for trouble. The longer their sparring match went on the more it favored Jaina for obvious reasons. He needed to find a way to win - and soon.

Jag had to do a forward roll in order to avoid getting his legs knocked out from under him after a well timed kick by Jaina. He quickly changed tactics after that and went on the offensive. As he had hoped, it caught Jaina off guard and he had her on the defensive for a change. He saw an opening in her stance and went for the take down – only it didn't happen that way. With faster than human reflexes, Jaina blocked the blow aimed at her ribcage. She then used Jag's momentum that was already caring him forward to strike a hit against his side and it dropped him to the mat.

"Are you okay?" Jaina said, immediately dropping down beside him.

"Never better," he wheezed. He tried to sit up and grimaced.

"Sorry, I might have gotten a little carried away at the end there," she said, sounding sheepish.

"Maybe you should try not using the Force when we spar."

"Are you implying that I cheated?"

"No, I'm merely making an observation."

"Maybe I should just leave you lying here. Then when the other officers show up you can explain how I kicked your butt – again."

"Because you cheated."

There was no malice in his voice as he said it. In fact, an uncharacteristic smile was tugging on the corners of his mouth. Although they appeared to be polar opposites, he found he enjoyed Jaina's company and the two of them had been spending quite a lot of time together. Months after his rehabilitation had ended they continued to be sparing partners.

New voices could be heard and Jag turned to see the Jedi's Ganner and Zekk enter the training center. Jag may not have been Force sensitive but he detected more than a little hostility being directed his way from Zekk.

Ganner grinned at the two of them. "Colonel, Fearless Leader."

Jaina rolled her eyes.

Jag arched an eyebrow at her.

"Alema started it," she explained to him.

Zekk uttered no greeting to either one of them. He proceeded to take out his lightsaber and started to spar with Ganner.

Although Jag didn't know the black haired Jedi very well, he knew that Zekk and Jaina were close. Clearly something had happened that was causing him and Jaina to not be on speaking terms. Jaina blew out a frustrated breath of air as she watched Zekk. Jag couldn't help but feel some measure of satisfaction at whatever fallout that had occurred between them.

"I think you've had enough for one day," Jaina said, her attention back to Jag.

Jag didn't disagree. "I have the right to call a rematch."

Jaina grinned at him. "Anytime."

He fully intended to take her up on that offer.

[*[*[*[*[*[

It seemed like everyone and everything was conspiring against Anakin getting to his quarters. First, Jaina had called an unusually long briefing to discuss the modifications being made to the X-wings shield system. Since it had been his idea in the first place, he couldn't really avoid participating. Then the turbolift had stalled, leaving him stranded inside. Rather than wait for a technician, he ripped open a control panel to fix it himself. When he finally reached his destination, his vision was obscured by a blond blur rushing at him.

"I was beginning to think you didn't miss me as much as I missed you," Tahiri said hugging him tightly.

"Sorry. Evil forces were conspiring against me getting here sooner," he said wrapping his own arms around her.

"Why doesn't that surprise me? Trouble follows you everywhere."

"You're one to talk."

Anakin knew he was grinning like an idiot but didn't care. Though he and Tahiri would talk over the holonet several times a week there was nothing that could replace her actual physical presence. He could still feel his connection to her even she was light years away on Dagobah but it had been greatly subdued. The both of them had decided it might not be a good idea to try and connect further. They had finally gotten to a point where they didn't pass out after being separated that even they realized it would be stupid to try something with such a distance separating them.

Now that they were reunited their Force bond flared. It had only been a month but it felt like much longer than that. Until Tahiri pointed it out, he hadn't realized they had been separated from each other for no more than a few hours at a time since his rescue of her from Yavin Four.

As much as Anakin knew it had been necessary for Tahiri to leave for her Jedi training he really hoped the rest of it wouldn't require her to be gone for any long stretches of time again.

He cupped her cheeks. "I really missed you."

Her green eyes sought out his ice blue ones. "Prove it."

He brought his lips down against hers. He kissed her with more force than he had intended but Tahiri didn't seem to mind. She positioned herself closer to him until she was pressed tightly against him. They had both missed this – not just the physical closeness but the emotional closeness as well.

All too soon Tahiri broke the kiss. She wrinkled her nose at him. "Do you have any idea how bad you smell?"

"I've spent the last six hours in my X-wing," he said in his defense. Anakin was sure if he ever made that comment to her she would jettison him out the nearest airlock, but somehow it was okay for her to say something like that to him. There definitely seemed to be a double standard of sorts between males and females.

"And I've spent the last month living in a swamp but at least I showered before coming here."

"Usually I do but I was kind of distracted by something else."

"Are you saying I'm a distraction?"

"Yes, in the worst possible way."

He went to kiss her but Tahiri placed her palms firmly on his chest to stop him. "Nice try with the flattery, Hero Boy, but there will be no more kissing until you stop smelling like a _von'u _that's been left out in the sun for too longer."

Anakin didn't know what a _von'u_ was – aside from it likely being a Yuuzhan Vong reference – but he understood it in the context of what Tahiri was saying. He supposed she had a point when he realized that the strange smell in the room was him.

"All right," he conceded. "I'll be quick."

"I could keep you company."

Anakin did a double take, sure he had misheard her but one look at Tahiri's now crimson face told him he had heard correctly. "Um, sure." He cringed inwardly at his response, fearing that his lack of enthusiasm would cause Tahiri to change her mind. Fortunately, she seemed to realize she had caught him off guard and didn't take offense.

The small 'fresher in his quarters felt even smaller with the two of them in there. Tahiri wasn't sure where her suggestion to join him in the shower had come from. She had just blurted it out without thinking – something she had been doing all her life and more times than not it landed her in some sort of trouble. Now it was a different kind of trouble she was in. Actually, trouble probably wasn't the right word for it.

Right, this had been her idea after all. Of course at the time she hadn't put a whole lot of thought into it. Again, the problem of speaking before thinking. She was suddenly very nervous. A quick check on Anakin and she could feel his nerves as well. She mentally shook herself. She had managed to survive a Yuuzhan Vong shaping. If she could live through that then surely taking off her clothes in front of Anakin – her boyfriend and best friend – should have been easy. It wasn't as if they hadn't already seen each other partially undressed before. But she knew there was a big difference between _partial_ and _full_.

"Tahiri, it's okay. We don't have to do this. I mean I want to," Anakin quickly added, thinking his response might give her the wrong impression. "I just didn't want you to think you had to go through with this. But of course you do since this was your idea – should I just shut up now?"

"Uh-huh," she said, nodding.

They both undressed quickly but silently and then disappeared under the cascading water flowing from the shower head.

If the 'fresher felt small it was nothing compared to the tiny shower that was really only made for one person. Neither could move much without touching or brushing up against the other.

Tahiri turned around so she was facing him. Anakin's gaze was locked on her but it didn't escape her notice that he seemed either unwilling or afraid to look anywhere but her face. She pushed his soaked bangs off his forehead and kissed him. He seemed to relax as he returned the kiss, letting his hands trail down her back. Tahiri threaded her fingers through his soaked locks and it wasn't long before Anakin pulled her closer to him so they were feeling each other more intimately than ever before.

He pinned her back against the tiles, away from the spray of water. She whimpered into his mouth as his hands grazed the sides of her breasts.

"Is this okay?" He said, his voice hoarse as he gently cupped her breast.

She could only nod, for one of the few times in her life finding it impossible to speak. Then her entire thought process disappeared when Anakin's mouth closed around her breast. She moaned out his name and pressed herself against him even more, feeling his erection digging into her stomach.

When he let her breast slide out of his mouth, he could see how flushed her skin was and she was breathing heavily. She recovered quickly, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down for a deep kiss.

Feeling brave, she let her hand brush against his hardened member. Anakin's reaction was immediate. She heard his sharp intake of breath and his entire body tense. Not losing her nerve, Tahiri's small hand wrapped around his erection. She acted on instinct as she continued to stroke him. She may not have known exactly what she was doing but a quick study of Anakin's face told her she must have been doing something right. It also helped that the bond they shared made it easy for her to know what he liked.

When she sped up her movements so her hand was sliding up and down his member much faster than before, Anakin was lost. He couldn't stop himself from thrusting himself hard into her hand as he came.

He collapsed against her, heartbeat erratic and breathing ragged. He quickly realized his weight was probably crushing her and placed both his palms flat against the tiles so he was more resting against the wall than her.

"It was good then?" She said, sounding unsure.

"Better than good," he returned, catching her lips in quick kiss.

"I suppose we better shower now," she said as Anakin's hands came to rest on her waist. "Since that is what we came in here for."

Anakin flashed her the infamous Solo grin. "I didn't hear you complaining."

She simply rolled her eyes at him and removed his arms from around her waist so she could move under the spree of the shower head and rinse herself off. It wasn't long before she felt Anakin come up behind her. She could feel both desire and mischief coming from him.

He reached around to cup her breasts. "I just thought I'd see if you needed a hand," he said, his breath hot in her ear.

Tahiri let her eyes flutter shut. "Anakin," she moaned.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said and continued to grope her breasts. All it had taken was her lightly pressing against him and he was hard again. He let one of his hands slide down from her breasts and passed her stomach until he reached the soft patch of curls between her legs.

"Anakin!" She cried out and arched back against him.

He groaned as well, now that she was nestled firmly against him and his erection was rubbing against her lower back. He kept his one hand where it was between her legs and moved his other one down to grip her hip. He could hear Tahiri's high-pitched breathing and moans as he moved his fingers between her folds.

It was the combined feeling of Anakin's hardness pressing into her and the finger he was pumping in and out of her that brought Tahiri over the edge. Her body shuddered with release and Anakin came shortly after against her backside after feeling her muscles clench around his finger. He wrapped both his arms around her waist to steady them both after their collective orgasms.

When his heart was no longer racing a mile a minute, he said, "I guess I should shower for real now."

"I think that can wait." She grinned seductively and pushed him back against the shower wall.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Anakin gripped the sides of the sink with shaking fingers before calling on a Jedi calming technique to steady his breathing. He was still so rattled from his latest nightmare it didn't help nearly as much as it should have. At least he wished it had been a nightmare. It had been far too vivid – felt _too_ real – for him to simply brush off as another bad dream.

Since Myrkr he had been having these _visions_ – sometimes while awake but usually when he was sleeping. He thought he had finally gotten passed all that as he had been 'vision-free' for almost a month. Now they seemed to be back with a vengeance - this was the third night in a row.

Some time ago he had talked to his Uncle Luke about them – only at both his sister and Tahiri's insistence. When the two of them teamed up on him like that he had been left with no other option. His Uncle seemed genuinely concerned, especially when Anakin explained how long they had been going on for and the amount of detail he could recall from each one. He also admitted that he thought these visions or whatever they appeared to be were linked back to the Myrkr mission. He couldn't help but feel that way for a couple of reasons. First, the visions had started immediately following the events at Myrkr. Secondly, he was never in any of his visions. That in itself wasn't cause for any immediate concern as it wasn't unusual for a Jedi to have visions about others, but any conversations that were had or events that transpired seemed to tie back to one thing – _his_ death. As strange as it sounded, it almost felt like he was supposed to have died at Myrkr. Thanks to Tahiri that had never happened, but now he seemed to be living out some sort of alternate reality through his visions where his death appeared to have a ripple effect on the course of future events.

He splashed some cold water on his face and when he felt calm enough again, quietly crept out of the 'fresher and back to his bed.

That's what he would have done if the light on his bedside table wasn't on and Tahiri wasn't sitting up, fully awake, her bare feet dangling over the side of the bed. Her expression confirmed for him that he had failed to keep this latest vision from her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He was still hopeful he could avoid talking about it with her and just go back to bed.

"I've only been back a few days and you've been having these visions every night. I thought you said they'd stopped."

So much for just going back to sleep. Then again, he had been deluding himself to think Tahiri would have let him get off the hook without talking about it.

"They did," he insisted. She would know he wasn't lying – he had never been any good at hiding things from her and this was too big to even attempt.

"Well, then something triggered them to start up again. Have you told your Uncle they're back?"

"No, I didn't want to bother him. He has enough on his mind."

"Anakin, you're not sleeping for more than a few hours at a time – and don't try and tell me otherwise because I know. What you're experiencing isn't normal. What happens when you start having these visions when you're awake, in your X-wing in the middle of a battle and you get yourself killed? I'm not taking that chance. You're going to talk to your Uncle first thing in the morning, okay?"

He gave a noncommittal shrug but knew it was pointless to argue with her. He was going to end up talking to his Uncle one way or another. If he continued to fight Tahiri on it he would likely find himself unconscious only to awaken in a pair of stun cuffs in his Uncle's personal quarters. As much as he loved her, she could be scary like that.

He just remembered something. "I can't first thing. We're testing the new shields – "

"Tell Jaina you can't do it – and _tell her why_," Tahiri interrupted. "She'll understand."

"I don't want to make a big deal out of this."

"Fine, you can pretend everything's fine. I'll be the realist here."

Anakin threw up his hands in defeat. "All right. I'll message Jaina and Alema since it was with the both of them."

Before he could even move to the small holoscreen on his desk he felt the stirring of a different emotion within Tahiri.

"Tahiri?"

"Hmm?"

He considered his next words carefully, knowing she wasn't in the best of moods already and this might make things worse. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

"No, not really."

He had been avoiding having this conversation with her for this very reason. He supposed he might as well just get it over with. "Alema is my wing mate."

"I know that."

"She's also my friend."

"I know that too."

_Here goes nothing_. "You've got nothing to be jealous of." Anakin braced himself for Tahiri's response.

Tahiri's green eyes blazed and her jaw tightened. "I am not jealous of that – _that_ –"

She proceeded to use a string of Yuuzhan Vong that went on for nearly thirty seconds. Anakin didn't understand a word of it but read the intent through the Force loud and clear. He had already come this far so he might as well keep going. "Alema knows there's no chance of anything happening between the two of us. I've made that very clear to her. Trust me on this."

"I do trust you, Anakin." Alema on the other hand, she wasn't so sure about. Though since Tahiri had saved her life the Twi'lek seemed to be less obvious about her romantic feelings for one Anakin Solo. She supposed that was an improvement at least.

"Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just old insecurities," she said dismissively. "I never thought I would say this but enough talking. Let's get some sleep – you need it."

With that, the topic of Alema Rar was dropped. Anakin really didn't know what else he could say to convince Tahiri that the Twi'lek wasn't even on his radar. He sensed there was more than just 'old insecurities' bothering her but he let it go. It was the the middle of the night and he didn't want to get into an argument with her.

Much like his sister told him no one could convince him that what happened to Jacen wasn't his fault, the same also held true in this situation. Nobody could convince Tahiri that Alema wasn't a threat unless she believed it herself.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Jedi Masters Luke and Mara Skywalker listened without interruption as Anakin recounted parts of his most recent visions. He didn't bother with a detailed play-by-play of everything that happened. He didn't think that was important. Besides, his Aunt and Uncle would have already gotten enough detail when he had gone to them the first time.

"Like before, they're never the same?" Mara asked him.

He nodded. "I've never had the same vision twice. It's just really strange."

"That's one word for it," his Aunt remarked.

"Why is this happening to him?" Tahiri asked. She had refused to let Anakin go alone to talk to the Jedi Masters, knowing he would likely downplay what was going on.

"I'm afraid I don't have an answer for that," Luke said to the two teens. "As you both know it's not uncommon for Jedi to have visions. However, ones of this magnitude and detail are quite unusual. I was concerned a little before when Anakin first came to me but then they seemed to go away. Now..."

"You're really worried," Tahiri supplied.

"You could say that."

"The problem is we really don't know enough about Jedi visions," Mara chimed in. "Most of the Jedi holocrons that predate the New Republic were destroyed by Vader and the Empire. Much like Cighal is a healer, back in the days of the Old Republic Jedi were specialists of sorts. They found a skill they were really good at and that became their area of expertise. There was one Jedi Master who was a specialist with regards to visions. I only know this because when I was the Emperor's Hand Thrawn wanted me to find this woman. Her name was Meina Anbra. He became obsessed with finding her, thinking if she was able to see the future he could then manipulate events to play out in his favor."

"What happened?" Anakin asked his aunt.

Mara shrugged. "Thrawn ended up getting killed before I could track her down. I stopped looking after his death. Didn't seem much point to it anymore. Besides, I didn't put much faith in her being alive to begin with. It's not as if there were many who managed to survive the Jedi purge."

"Where did you look for her?" Tahiri asked.

"Mostly the Unknown Regions," Mara replied. "There were rumors at the time about Jedi having taken refuge there thinking Vader wouldn't venture out into Unknown Space. Since Thrawn was a Chiss he knew all the space routes to take – made things easier." Mara's eyes widened and then narrowed as she picked up on the subtle change in the blond teen's Force presence. "Don't even think about it. You are not going on some crusade to the Unknown Regions looking for a Jedi Master that was probably dead decades before either one of you were born. Not to mention all the nasty alien species flying around in there that the Chiss have been so kind as to hold off for the time being."

"Do you have any other ideas?" Tahiri said boldly, not backing down.

"None at that moment," Mara said, unfazed by Tahiri's challenging look. "But give us Jedi Masters some time to sort through this all. We'll figure something out."

"You couldn't figure it out the first time around. Why would this time be any different?"

_Tahiri,_ Anakin warned, subtly trying to remind her who she was speaking to.

_Let me handle this, Dummy. _

She swiftly turned her attention back to the Skywalkers. "I've already figured out one thing about his visions that you haven't. I'm the cause of them – or at least I'm linked to them somehow."

Luke, Mara and Anakin all looked at her with dumbfounded expressions.

"It can't be a coincidence that they stopped as soon as I left with Mater Horn for Dagobah and then they started up again almost the moment I got back."

While both Luke and Anakin seemed to be digesting this, Mara said, "she has a point."

Anakin, however, was in clear disagreement. "Tahiri, you are not the source of my visions."

"Do you have another explanation for it?" She asked him. "I'd love nothing more than to be wrong about this but I don't think I am."

"I don't think any of us should be jumping to conclusions at this point," Luke jumped in.

"Right now the best chance we have of figuring this out is if we can find this Master Anbra," Tahiri insisted. "If she's still alive maybe she can diagnose Anakin or get the visions to stop."

She watched as Luke and Mara exchanged looks. They seemed to be doing that silent communications thing that she and Anakin did so often.

Finally, Mara spoke. "I think it's a foregone conclusion that no matter what we say you're probably going to end up in the Unknown Regions somehow. We can at least make sure this is as safe a trip as possible. We'll have Corran go with you. It also wouldn't hurt that you speak to a certain colonel who probably has the most up-to-date information on all the goings-on of the Unknown Regions. If luck's really on our side, maybe he's even heard of Meina Anbra so we know where to start looking."

[*[*[*[*[*[

Anakin had been perfectly fine going to see Colonel Jagged Fel on his own. He didn't know the man all that well but had no problem seeing what information on the Unknown Regions he might be able to share. Tahiri, however, had insisted they go through Jaina. Anakin found her behavior to be a little odd but did as she asked. He really didn't understand why his sister needed to be there. He knew the two of them were friends but he doubted she would mind them going to see Jagged Fel on their own.

The four of them sat in one of the officer's lounge's late one evening, explaining their need to go to the Unknown Regions. Tahiri actually did most of the talking, which was fine with Anakin. He had already done more than enough talking about his visions for one day.

He was only half-listening when he felt the subdued surprise register from the Colonel at Tahiri's mention of Meina Anbra. Perking up, he said, "so you've heard of her then?"

Jag nodded. "Mostly stories told to young Chiss children to keep them in line. Tales of the Jedi even reach as far as the Unknown Regions. They say she isolated herself on a planet because she couldn't stand the company of any sentient being."

"Sounds like a charming woman," Jaina remarked wryly.

"The stories say she suffered from visions of the future and the only way to stop them from happening was to isolate herself. The stories are told to trick children into believing they'll be sent to her and told all the horrible things that will happen to them if they misbehave." Jag shrugged, indicating he wasn't sure how much truth there were to the stories.

"Sounds like just the person we're looking for," Tahiri commented. "Do you have any idea what planet she's supposed to be on? Or even the system?"

Again, Jag shrugged. "Sometimes the stories reference the Durace system."

"Durace?" Jaina echoed.

"A barren planet close to Csilla. Attempts to colonize it were abandoned decades ago due to extremely unpredictable weather conditions experienced across the planet."

"Seems like the perfect place for a Jedi Master on the run from the Empire to hide out," Tahiri noted. "She wouldn't be the first Master to pick such an unappealing place either. Yoda chose Dagobah. Obi-wan Kenobi picked Tatooine."

"How long would it take to get there from here?" Jaina asked.

"There are a few stable hyperspace routes leading from Imperial Space. It would require several smaller jumps for us to reach Durace but the entire trip shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks."

Jaina blinked, surprised. "You would come with us?"

"I am from the Unknown Regions, which makes me the most qualified person to take you there," Jag said simply.

"I can't ask either of you to come with us," Anakin spoke up. He knew Tahiri would be coming with him regardless and selfishly he was glad for that. But Jaina and Jag were both military – they had responsibilities. Technically, Anakin was military as well since he had joined Rogue Squadron but he was sure he could request an extended leave of absence considering who has commanding officer was.

"You don't have to ask, little brother. I'm coming," Jaina said, her tone indicating there was no way he could convince her otherwise. "As if I'm going to let you venture off into the Unknown Regions alone. Besides, I've got weeks of leave saved up that I can use. Things are quiet at the moment so there's no better time to go."

"I am also long overdue for reporting back to the Ascendancy on the Yuuzhan Vong threat in this galaxy. Once we have finished with your quest, I can make a short trip to Csilla to report in."

"Well, that settles it. We're all going," Tahiri announced, jumping to her feet. "Let's go give Master Horn the good news that he won't be stuck with just the two of us. We'll see you both later."

She practically yanked Anakin to his feet before leading him out of the lounge, leaving Jaina and Jag alone.

[*[*[*[*[*[

If Jaina didn't know any better she would swear Tahiri had arranged this whole meeting with Jag and then running off with Anakin to get the two of them alone together. That led Jaina to wonder how obvious her and Jag had become regarding their feelings for one another. She certainly wasn't looking for a relationship and going down that road with Jag or anyone else for that matter just didn't seem like a good idea.

"Thanks for what you're doing for my brother," Jaina said appreciatively.

"I would do the same for any of my siblings."

"You don't talk much about your family," Jaina began, her tone conversational. "I know you still have a brother and a sister alive but that's about it."

"If you wanted to know more you could have asked," Jag responded. "Though there's not much to tell really. Wynssa is still in school, being groomed to enter the Chiss military academy once she's of age. My parents, Chak and myself all support the Chiss Ascendancy in one way or another. Our duties keep us separated much of the time."

Jaina understood that all too well. Although her parents had been away a lot when she was growing up, at least Anakin and Jacen had always been there with her. It didn't seem like Jag had ever been afforded the same opportunity with his siblings.

Changing subjects then, Jag said, "you may want to hold off on thanking me until we actual find Meina Anbra."

"Well, it's the best lead we've got. I saw how relieved Anakin looked. These visions are killing him."

"I plan to contact my father directly. He would be the most reliable source for safe hyperspace routes."

"Things are that bad in Chiss space?"

"There are certain hostiles that very much pose a threat to this galaxy should they ever get passed our borders."

Jaina decided not to ask for any further details. She trusted Jag to tell her if they were flying straight into anything dangerous.

"Have you eaten?" Jag asked her suddenly.

His question – innocent as it was – caught her off guard. "No. I was finishing up some new battle tactics for the squadron when Anakin and Tahiri showed up."

"We could grab evening meal now. If you don't already have plans, of course."

"I was supposed to meet up with Zekk to go over the new tactics."

"I see."

He was difficult to read but Jaina thought she detected a hint of jealousy in his voice. It wasn't as if he had anything to be jealous of. She had ended whatever was going on between her and Zekk months ago. He wanted a committed relationship and she couldn't give him that, which made flying with him all the more awkward most of the time.

"Can I ask you something personal?"

"You can ask. I reserve the right not to answer though."

"Fair enough," Jag said with a nod. "Are you involved with Jedi Zekk?"

It was hard to believe Jag of all people was actually asking her that. "Why do you ask?" She said, choosing to respond with a question rather than answer him.

For one of the few times since she had met him, Jag appeared uncomfortable_. You were the one who brought up the subject_, Jaina thought to herself.

"I have heard the two of you are close."

She wondered if that was his refined way of saying he had listened to rumors circulating about her and Zekk. For her part, Jaina didn't give a flying Sith what people said, but the fact that it bothered Jag – and she could read that part loud and clear now, no matter how stoic his outward appearance was – made her wonder just how much attention he had paid to those rumors.

"Zekk and I... we're just friends now," she said, finally settling on a response that didn't involve sharing all the details. Her relationship with Zekk was definitely not something she felt comfortable discussing with him. "We've known each other since we were kids. He wanted more and I didn't want the same things as him. He's being kind of a nerf about it now but he'll get over it. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

"I didn't mean to pry," he said, thinking he had upset her.

"It's fine, Jag." Strangely enough, Jaina found she meant it. "If you still want to grab something to eat, I can meet up with Zekk later."

Jag inclined his head. "I would like that."

Jaina knew how Zekk would react to her blowing him off for Jagged Fel. She found though that she didn't care. He could think whatever he liked. There was nothing wrong with two comrades – friends – sharing a meal together even if there might be a slight attraction between them.


	4. Chapter 4

_Warning: Yes, another warning for an Anakin/Tahiri scene in this chapter. Again, nothing too graphic but just keeping the M rating to be on the safe side._

* * *

Chapter Four

Jag watched the face of Baron Soontir Fel transform from subtle surprise to amusement as he explained his reasons for contacting his father.

"You do realize there is absolutely no proof of a Jedi Master or any Jedi for that matter living within our borders," said Soontir Fel. "They are nothing more than children's tales designed to frighten them into behaving properly. Your mother told these stories to you and your siblings when you were young."

"I realize that, Father."

"And yet knowing that you would still leave your military duties to help this Solo boy."

"I have accumulated more than enough leave for this trip."

"You have changed, Jagged," was Soontir Fel's response. "Your time spent outside Chiss space has exposed you to some of the more common human frailties."

Though he hid it well, Jag was offended by his father's remark. "I was raised to help a friend in need."

Sontir Fel sighed. "Yes, that would be your mother's doing. However, your time spent at the academy and years of service to the Ascendancy should have taught you that duty and responsibility come before all else. Without that, Csilla and many other planets within Chiss space would have long been wiped out by the constant threats we face. That is exactly why I plan to recall you and the rest of Vanguard Squadron."

Only his years of military training allowed Jag to keep both his expression and tone neutral. "I had planned to stop by Csilla to provide a full briefing on the situation here as well as ask for more resources. There is still much assistance we can offer the Galactic Alliance."

"I have read each of the reports you've sent through previously. There is nothing in them that leads me to believe there is a significant chance of the Galactic Alliance winning this war. They are far too fragmented. You have even provided accounts of how they were at one point considering turning the Jedi over to the Yuuzhan Vong in hopes that would bring about a quick end to the war. A formal alliance with them would only serve to weaken the Ascendancy."

"Father, if you have read my reports then you know the Ascendancy alone cannot stop the Yuuzhan Vong. Perhaps if we weren't already stretched so thin with other threats that would be the case, but our best chance for survival is to ally ourselves with the Galactic Alliance, which already has an alliance with one of the biggest military factions in this galaxy – the Imperial Remnant. Soon, there will likely be an alliance with the Hapan Consortium as well."

"You were sent to galactic space to provide temporary aid to the then New Republic forces while understanding the magnitude of the Yuuzhan Vong threat. You were to report back all the information we would need to defend ourselves against that enemy. You have already been gone for too long. I will allow you to participate in this journey to Durace but you are to report back to Csilla once it is done. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Father."

"I will gather the hyperspace routes you requested and transmit them to you over a secure frequency."

Soontir Fel ended the transmission before Jag could say another word.

Jag stood there, his feelings mixed over being ordered to return home. He had always known this day would come. In fact, more recently he had been purposely delaying his return, using the excuse that there was still much intelligence to acquire on the Yuuzhan Vong. It wasn't exactly a lie, but he had his reasons for wanting to stay - as selfish as they were. But it appeared as though those excuses would no longer work and he would be forced to return to Chiss space – permanently.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Anakin dubiously eyed the small duffle bag Tahiri placed on the bed. "Are you sure that's big enough?"

She started throwing some toiletries inside it. "I know you're used to me over packing but I learned a thing or two about packing efficiency from Master Horn while I was away. We're only going to be gone a few weeks anyways."

"Hopefully," Anakin muttered but his tone wasn't filled with optimism.

"Hey," Tahiri said, dropping down onto the bed beside him. "You have this thing called _Solo luck_. We'll find what we're looking for."

"And if we don't?"

She shrugged and got up to grab a few more items from inside the dresser. "We'll figure something out. We always do."

"I'm glad one of us is thinking positively."

"It seems to be one of the few things I'm better at then you," she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"How long have you thought my visions were linked to you?" It was something that had been on his mind since she had brought it up the other day.

"Almost since I returned from Dagobah. I thought I might be a bit crazy at first but how else do you explain the fact that your visions returned almost the minute I got back? I believe in coincidences but that's a little much."

"Is that why you started sleeping in your own quarters?" Anakin asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Maybe," she admitted, zipping up her travel bag.

"Now, you are being crazy," he said, earning himself a playful punch in the shoulder. "I'm still having visions so there's no sense in you staying there."

"I suppose we should make the most of the time we have before we leave. I doubt we'll have any time to ourselves during the trip."

"Not only that but we'll be on a tiny ship full of Jedi. It's not as if it will be easy to hide our, er, thoughts from them."

"Are you saying you're planning on having inappropriate thoughts about me?"

Anakin's cheeks flushed. "Not planning, no. It might just happen."

Tahiri pushed him back onto the bed, saying, "maybe we should get them out of your system before we leave so that doesn't happen."

Judging by her tone and actions, Anakin knew he was going to like where this was heading. He rolled them over so Tahiri was pinned beneath him. She leaned up and kissed him, slow at first but it quickly deepened. With Anakin's arms wrapped around her, she pressed herself against set to work on kissing his way down her throat before his hands found their way up her sides and underneath her shirt. His hands danced along her bare back and it wasn't long before both his and Tahiri's shirts ended up somewhere on the floor.

They opened themselves up fully to the bond between them and it was an overflow of everything the two of them were feeling. It was almost overpowering – but in a good way – feeling the strength of their love for the other.

Since their little encounter in the shower, Anakin felt bolder – or maybe confident was the better word for it. His hand trailed up the inside of her thigh, grazing, teasing before finding its way to her center and eliciting moans of pleasure from Tahiri. He wasn't experienced by any means – Tahiri had been his first kiss, his first everything and it had been the same for her. But even with his new found confidence, there were still some nerves and uncertainty. They were figuring things out as they went but their connection made it easier, simple almost. They already knew each other so well that everything that happened felt like a natural evolution in their relationship.

They shed the remainder of their clothing. Both were breathing hard as Anakin hovered over Tahiri, his body pressed against hers in all the right places. She lightly stroked his cheek, using their bond to communicate what she wanted without having to say a word.

His eyes widened slightly. "Are you sure?"

She nodded up at him. "I'm sure."

With a bit of help from Tahiri, he found his way inside her. Once he was in, Anakin groaned and clutched at the covers on the bed. Try as he might he couldn't stop himself from beginning to thrust, even though he was trying to allow her to adjust to him.

"It's okay, Anakin, move," she said to him.

He did as she asked, feeling her reassuring brush against his mind. He started off with slow steady strokes until he got the hang of it, then he started moving faster. He pressed his lips to hers, trying to make this better for her because moving in and out of her was incredible for him. There was that unavoidable moment of pain for Tahiri but Anakin was there lessening it, making everything better until the only sensation she could feel was him moving inside her. Neither thought it was possible to be any closer than they already were but being connected on such an emotional and intimate level seemed to add another layer to their bond. When it was over, they both lay there breathing hard. Any emotional barriers between them were nonexistent after what they had just shared.

Anakin turned his head to look at Tahiri. "Are you okay?" Those were not the words he wanted to say to her after their first time.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "I swear if you apologize for anything I'm never having sex with you again, Anakin Solo."

He didn't want to chance her making good on that threat so he kept his mouth shut. Although he had hated to cause her any kind of pain, he had felt for the most part it had good for her – better than good actually, he thought with some pride.

Tahiri picked up on his thoughts and giggled. "It's good to see how in some ways you're just like every other male, Anakin."

"It would be great if just for once our minds weren't always an open book to each other," he said with a slight groan.

Tahiri propped herself up on one elbow saying, "I think it's more fun this way."

"Oh really?"

Her entire face flushed at the flood of emotions Anakin was purposely sending her way, along with the exact thoughts that occupied them. There were even a few visuals thrown in for good measure.

"Anakin!"

He just laughed, pulling Tahiri into his arms.

"I've heard it's supposed to get better the more you do it," she said a few moments later, her face turning an even deeper shade of red.

He grinned at her. "Is that so?"

She snuggled up against his chest. "Practice makes perfect, right?"

He definitely liked the sound of that.

[*[*[*[*[*[

With her travel pack slung over one shoulder, Jaina stood and admired the _Jade Shadow_. Her aunt had offered the use of her personal ship for their trek to Chiss space – much to Jaina's surprise and delight. Though there was no place she felt quite at home like the cockpit of her X-wing or her father's prized ship, the _Falcon_, the _Jade Shadow_ was an incredible vessel. With all her upgrades and modifications, Jaina was just itching to get behind the controls. Of course, she had promised her Aunt Mara she would bring it back without a scratch.

No matter how much the Yuuzhan Vong war had changed her, the one thing it couldn't change was her love of flying or tinkering with ships. Although she didn't have the kind of downtime she used to, it was a long trip to Durace, which meant there would be plenty of opportunity to explore the inner workings of the _Jade Shadow_. With Anakin's help, the two of them might even be able to improve the ship even more. His affinity for anything mechanical was even better than her own.

"Looks like you're going to be traveling in style," commented Kyp, standing beside her.

Jaina wasn't at all surprised by the Jedi Master's presence. She knew her Uncle had asked Kyp to accompany them; something about wanting them to have as much support as possible. Jaina was confident she and the others could handle whatever came up but she wasn't about to turn down additional help.

"The Dozen are coming as well?" Jaina asked him.

Kyp nodded. "This is entirely a Jedi operation so the Dozen seemed like the best escort. We'll give Vanguard Squadron a run for their money."

"I'm surprised you'd go along with a task my Uncle gave you."

Kyp shrugged. "He asked and it seemed like a good cause. Just because he and I don't see eye to eye on a lot of things doesn't mean I won't help out. Besides, I'm always willing to help a fellow Jedi in need."

Kyp might be more the aggressor – a decision Jaina agreed with more times than not – which had put him at odds with her Uncle and many of the other Jedi. When it came down to it, though, he was just trying to do what he thought was right. However, his view of what was right didn't always sit well with the more pacifist group of Jedi.

"Should be a fun trip," said Kyp good-naturedly. "Two Jedi Masters who can barely stand each other; three next generation Jedi and one stuffy Colonel."

"The only reason you're saying that about Jag is because he follows the rules."

"No need to get defensive. Jag is great but he's a little rigid. You of all people should agree with me on that."

"I may not always agree with Jag but his tactics have gotten Vanguard Squadron out of a lot of difficult situations with minimal casualties."

Kyp chuckled. "I see the Colonel has made quite the impression on you."

Jaina scowled, which only served to increase Kyp's laughter.

"If you're nice, maybe I'll even let you fly my X-wing while we're gone," he said, changing topics. "Wouldn't want you to get rusty."

"You mean try and convince me to leave Rogue Squadron for the Dozen?" She said, knowing his intentions without even having to use the Force to read him.

"If you said yes, it would be one less thing I'd have to hound you about."

The other thing he was referring to was agreeing to be his apprentice. For a short while some time back she had actually given it serious thought but her military duties and the fact that she still wasn't sure how much she trusted Kyp to have her best interests at heart had led to her declining his offer.

"You know Rogue Squadron is my priority," she said, feeling like they'd had this conversation already.

"I know and you've put being a Jedi on the back burner. You're only hurting your own development."

"So you've said to me several times already. Maybe this is as far as my Jedi training is supposed to go."

Kyp stared at her in disbelief. "You can't really believe that. I know you're not happy your mom decided to forgo her Jedi development by choosing to throw herself into politics instead."

"I'm not my mother," Jaina snapped. "Just respect my decision and back off, Kyp."

She turned on her heel and stalked toward the waiting landing ramp of the _Jade Shadow_, hearing Kyp mutter, "it's definitely going to be a fun trip."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Anakin's violet saber came crashing down against Tahiri's blue one. Tahiri pivoted on her heel and parried his saber aside. The two of them broke off, circling one another, their lightsabers held protectively in front of them. Tahiri, however, was growing increasingly aggravated with her opponent.

She scowled at Anakin. "Stop going easy on me."

"That's not what I'm doing."

Tahiri snorted and lunged forward. As if to prove her point, she purposely left an opening in her stance, which would have left Anakin with the opportunity to move his blade to her throat. Instead, he took up a defensive posture.

"See, this is what I'm talking about!" Tahiri snapped, beyond frustrated at that point. "You think I don't stand a Hutt's chance in beating you but you're giving me every opportunity to win so I can feel good about myself. I can take you, Anakin. I've been practicing."

"Although I don't say this very often, Tahiri is right," spoke Corran, from his spot where he sat observing the two teens spar. "Do not underestimate her, Anakin. You're also not helping Tahiri by going easy on her. For Tahiri to continue to improve she needs to be challenged. A Yuuzhan Vong or any other enemy would not show her mercy. You need to do the same."

"Are you sure that's wise advice to be giving?" Kyp said, strolling into the lounge area of the _Jade Shadow_ bringing Jaina with him.

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't believe Tahiri could hold her own against Anakin," Corran replied.

"Be careful, Anakin. I've heard her yell at you. If she can translate that into saber practice, you're in trouble," Jaina said, grinning at him.

Anakin tuned out all the others and focused his attention back on the petite blond in front of him. Tahiri threw him a feral grin before charging at him.

_Don't hold back, Hero Boy._

This time when their blades connected, Anakin didn't relent. The force he was using drove Tahiri back until she was able to match his strength and counter with an attack of her own. As she did that, she remembered the weeks of grueling training she had gone through with Master Horn and what he had taught her – _don't just fight your opponent, learn from them so you can understand their weaknesses; keep your movements quick and precise; a flailing, undisciplined fighting style leaves you more vulnerable; maintain your balance, don't overcompensate when you thrust forward_...

All of Master Horn's teachings flowed through her mind. Although she had never been anything but ordinary when it came to handling a lightsaber she felt she had made great strides in improving those skills. She had also felt the confidence radiating from her teacher when he commented on her being able to hold her own against Anakin. She might not be the most gifted or dedicated student but she would show him all his time spent on her so far hadn't been for nothing.

Though Anakin was definitely giving her a good fight now, she sensed a part of him was still holding back. She was going to teach him a lesson to make sure he never did that again.

The first piece of advice Master Horn had ever given her in the art of saber dueling was _never lose_. If you lost, chances were you would end up dead or so badly injured you would wish for death. _A lightsaber is not a Jedi's only weapon_, Master Horn's calm voice echoed in her head. _A Jedi uses all tools at his or her disposal to successfully defeat an enemy, including the Force._

Tahiri called on the Force then. She projected onto Anakin how he had made her feel during their first time, the intimacy of it all – mentally and physically. Anakin's face flushed at the thoughts Tahiri was directing at him, causing him to stumble in mid stride. Completely distracted, Tahiri was able to make her way through his defenses and position her blade so that if she moved it diagonally just so she would slice through him from waist to neck.

She could hear roaring laughter coming from Kyp and Jaina. Even Master Horn joined in, as he beamed with pride at her victory.

"Caught you off guard?" Tahiri said innocently to Anakin, who was still red in the face.

"That wasn't fair," he grumbled, embarrassed.

"That ought to teach you not to hold back again. Besides, Master Horn was the one who taught me to use everything at my disposal to win."

Kyp let out a low whistle. "I'm impressed. She fights dirty. I like it."

"Get your own apprentice," Corran remarked.

Kyp fixed Jaina with a sidelong glance. "I'm trying to."

Jaina simply rolled her eyes before turning her attention to Anakin and Tahiri. "Good job putting my brother in his place, but do us all a favor and warn us the next time you plan on pulling a trick like that so we can put up some mental barriers?"

Now it was Tahiri's who turned a deep shade of crimson. She hadn't realized she had projected out to the rest of the group. She had beat Anakin but in a ship full of Force sensitives she was likely going to spend the rest of the trip completely mortified. Maybe she could lock herself in a cabin until they reached Durace.

[*[*[*[*[*[

"We will have to make several jumps to reach Durace. It is not the fastest route but it is the safest."

Jaina, Anakin, Tahiri, Kyp and Corran were all seated in various spots around the _Jade Shadow's_ lounge listening to Jag explain the different hyperspace routes they would take.

Corran looked serious. "Do you expect we'll run into any trouble out here?"

"Why is it every time he uses the word _trouble _he looks at us?" Tahiri murmured from her spot beside Anakin.

"Because in his experience we're kind of magnets for it," Anakin returned.

"Not where we're going, no," Jag answered the Jedi Master's question. "There is an emerging threat from an insectoid race, but the conflict will be nowhere near Durace. The planet is of no importance to anyone in the Ascendancy or any of the other species who roam close to Chiss space. When Vanguard Squadron returns to Csilla it is much more likely we'll run into trouble there."

"I thought we were all swinging by there once we finished at Durace," said Jaina. "You were going to give your report and then we head back."

"I have been recalled by my father to rejoin the rest of the Chiss military in support of the Ascendancy."

Jaina looked shocked. "Permanently?"

"Yes."

"When were you going to mention that little detail?"

"I just did."

Jaina said nothing more after that but it was clear from her posture and facial expression she was not impressed by Jag's news.

To ease some of the tension that had settled in the room, Kyp asked Jag to explain more about the planet side conditions they could expect on Durace, as well as if there were any native creatures to worry about.

[*[*[*[*[*[

_When a Chiss accepts orders he carries them out, period._

The words spoken to Jag once by his older brother, Chak, played themselves over and over in his mind. Though not a Chiss, Jag had been largely raised as one. Since childhood, the importance of duty and loyalty to the Ascendancy had been imprinted on him. Every order – whether by a teacher, commanding officer or the Ascendancy – was given with the intent of bettering Chiss space and its society.

Once his father had allowed him to enroll at the military academy, he was judged even more harshly by Chiss standards, in particular because he had been the only human in his class. During his cadet days he had been a brash and reckless pilot, frequently crashing his Claw craft. Constant threats in Chiss space, coupled with the deaths of two of his siblings, eventually forced him to grow up and accept the Chiss doctrine. Part of that doctrine was never questioning orders – just obey and carry out. Never before had Jag struggled with that part as much as he was now.

Jag let out a frustrated sigh, very unlike him. That frustration was linked to the one and only Jaina Solo. He could tell she had been less than pleased to learn of his imminent return to Csilla. He would have preferred to tell her first – privately – but there had not been an opportunity before they left, and it had just sort of come out during that conversation as they discussed the trip to Durace.

In the days since their departure from Imperial Space he had the distinct feeling that she was somewhat angered by it. She didn't actually come out and say anything but that was probably because she seemed to be doing her best to avoid him.

He was at a loss for how to best handle the situation. If he was in his Claw craft he could solve any problem but outside of his fighter things were not so easy. After each jump when they regrouped in normal space he would either rejoin his squadron or dock aboard the _Jade Shadow_. His pilots saw no need to leave their fighters even if it was just to stretch their legs. He knew his Chiss comrades found it odd how much time he would spend with these humans – even though he was human himself.

In another thirty hours they would re-emerge into real space and make the final jump that would take them to Durace the rest of the way. He decided to spend some of that time trying to engage Jaina in conversation.

"You'll find Jaina if you keep going that way," came the voice of Kyp Durron.

That was the most unnerving fact about being on a ship full of Jedi. No matter how closely guarded he kept his thoughts they all seemed to know what was going on in his head.

"Though I don't think she'll be too pleased to see you."

Jag regarded the older Jedi closely. "You think I should leave her alone, then?"

"No, I think the two of you definitely need to talk. I was just giving you a warning but you've been around long enough to know the kind of temper she can have."

"Has Jaina said something to you?"

"Me? No, Jaina doesn't talk to me. More than anything I'm a pain in her ass but she'll come around eventually," he added with a smile. Then, growing serious, the Jedi Master said, "look, Jaina has some abandonment issues when it comes to men. Her best friend has disappeared on more than one occasion to deal with his own dark past and more recently her dad went AWOL when his best friend died." Kyp fixed Jag with a sympathetic look. "I don't know what's going on with the two of you but there's only reason I can think of as to why she's acting like this. Go talk to her. Smooth things over."

Contemplating what Kyp had said, Jag proceeded toward the rear section of the ship. It was small and cramped and held a number of service panels. Jaina had her head poked inside one of the open ones. If she had detected his presence she gave no notice of it.

Feeling awkward, Jag cleared his throat. "We should talk about my leaving." There was no sense skirting around the issue.

"Okay but there's not much to talk about," Jaina said, stepping back and closing the panel she had been working on. "I mean, it's not as if you were going to be around forever. You were just sent to help out with the war effort and then report back to the Ascendancy."

"That's true but I didn't anticipate being away as long as I have. It is now more difficult to leave."

"Why?"

She was purposely making this difficult for him. Either that or she really had no clue, which he found hard to believe.

"Jaina, you and I are more than comrades. I care about you a great deal. I do not wish to leave but I have my orders."

"For all your talk about us being more than comrades it would have been nice if you had told me yourself rather than finding out in front of my brother and friends," she said, her tone taking on a bit of an edge.

"I know. I am sorry about that."

Jaina looked ready to argue further and then a moment later seemed to change her mind. Suddenly her expression softened. "It's always duty first with people like us, right?"

"It has to be, especially in times of war. But if that duty was better served continuing to help the Galactic Alliance perhaps I should stay."

Jaina looked stunned. "You would disobey your orders?"

"It is not about disobeying. If I had a valid reason to stay I would." His gaze locked on Jaina's momentarily before she looked away, breaking the connection.

Silence stretched between them for several long moments before Jaina responded, though she still refused to look at him as she did so. "You should follow your orders, Jag."

Disappointed with her response, Jag turned and walked away. As he did so, he reflected on the possibility that perhaps he had misjudged Jaina's reaction to his leaving. Maybe they really were nothing more than comrades.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Durace was not a planet even the most adventurous person would seek out for a vacation. Electrical storms were commonplace, much of the water that covered the surface was toxic and volcanic activity was a regular occurrence. The native flora and fauna was just as vicious as the unforgiving environment it was a part of.

_No wonder nobody in the Unknown Regions is fighting over this rock_, Anakin thought to himself, glancing around at the desolate landscape.

Despite all those things the planet definitely felt alive. The group of Jedi could detect a particularly strong current in the Force that didn't belong to any of them.

At present they were discussing who would be a part of the group going to find Meina Anbra.

"I didn't come all this way just to stay behind and babysit a bunch of Chiss fighter pilots," Kyp complained loudly.

"We're talking about a Jedi from the days of the Old Republic who has been hiding here for decades," Corran countered. "We have no idea what kind of frame of mind she'll be in, much less how she'll react if a half dozen Jedi show up."

"We're here for me so I have to go," said Anakin.

"Where Anakin goes, I go," Tahiri chimed in.

"I'm in charge of them so I'm going," said Corran.

"He's my brother, so I'm going," spoke Jaina. She nodded at Jag. "He's been here before so he's coming too. Looks like you're the odd one out, Kyp."

Kyp scowled. "Very funny. Fine, you go off and find this Meina Anbra. Try not to get hit by lightning or eaten by any of the carnivorous animal life Jag was kind enough to educate us on. I'll be waiting here in the warm and safe ship for when you return."

"Don't let anything happen to the _Shadow_. Aunt Mara will be very angry if you do," Jaina said over her shoulder as the group began the trek away from the ship.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Tahiri resisted the urge to grumble about the heavy fitted boots on her feet knowing how sore they would be if she had insisted on proceeding barefoot through the rocky planet.

"Told you you'd be happy you wore them," Anakin said to her.

"I don't think _happy_ is the right word for it," she returned. "You would think with the amount of time people spend on their feet someone would make these things more comfortable. I've got blisters already."

"I'll give you a foot message later," Anakin said, purposely keeping his voice low so the others wouldn't hear.

"I'm going to hold you to that."

"How much farther?" Jaina asked to no one in particular.

"She knows we're here," Corran stated. "She's difficult to pinpoint but I'm sure she's watching us, wanting to know our intentions."

"If she's a real Jedi she should have sensed long ago that we mean her no harm," Tahiri blurted out.

"I did, but I have not had visitors in a very long time so I chose to remain hidden."

Meina Anbra, looking worn and haggard from a lifetime of living on the harsh planet, stood in front of them where there had been nothing a moment before. She wore fraying Jedi robes that looked like they were from the days of the Old Republic.

On instinct, Jag's hand went to his blaster, while Anakin, Tahiri and Jaina's went to their lightsabers. Only Corran remained completely still.

"You're here because you think I can help," she continued, her eyes locking on Anakin. "I'm sorry but there is nothing I can do about your visions."

"How can you say that?" Tahiri cried. "You haven't even tried."

"There is nothing to try. Anakin Solo should have died at Myrkr. His fate was altered and now that the future has changed these visions are his punishment." Meina Anbra's gaze shifted to Tahiri. "They are directly linked to you because you were the one who saved his life. As long as you remain close to him they will continue."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

It was a short, quiet trek to where Meina Anbra lived. Her dwelling would have been quite easy to overlook as it appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary cavern, much like so many of the others the group had passed over. The difference was once they got close enough, a flickering light burned inside and it was clearly not empty like all the others.

Meina Anbra pushed back her long silver hair from her face. "As much as I appreciate having visitors I'm not sure what else I can offer you."

"For starters, some help might be nice," said Jaina, her tone indicating she was not impressed with the old woman so far. "You're supposed to be this Jedi Master whose specialty is visions and predicting the future. You must have known we would come."

"Surely someone must have explained to you that the future is always in motion. It is not simply a matter of seeing visions and then they happen. This is more a curse than a gift, and I have inflicted more pain and suffering by trying to change the future rather than just let things run their course."

"We need a solution or at least something to get us on the right track," Jaina persisted.

"I gave you one. You're brother's suffering is tied to the blond one."

Jaina briefly glanced over at her brother and Tahiri. The two of them had barely said two words since encountering the Jedi Master. "That's not an option," she stated firmly, looking back at Meina Anbra.

"Master Anbra," Corran spoke before Jaina could lose her temper completely. "You pointed out that the future is always in motion – things like fate and destiny can change because of our actions – or even inaction. Anakin's living proof of that. I mean no disrespect but you are contradicting everything you just said about how the future is not set in stone."

"It is different with him," Master Anbra insisted. "He was inches from death, already in the process of becoming one with the Force when she tied her life force to his changing both their fates."

"Both?" Jag echoed.

"The pain from Anakin Solo's death would eventually consume her, leading her to a path of darkness. Now, her future is unclear. I am having trouble reading either one of them because of how drastically their futures have been altered. It seems the powers that be have not yet decided what to do with them." Meina Anbra glanced curiously at the two silent teens. "Never before have I met two individuals with such a strong connection. Clearly the Order has changed over the years. Jedi were not to have emotional attachments or family. They were distractions from their purpose as guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy."

Tahiri fixed the Jedi Master with a hostile look. "I'd say things have changed for the better."

"Have they?" Meina Anbra challenged, her tone sharp. "Emotional attachments were forbidden for a reason. Had Anakin Solo perished at Myrkr, you would have abandoned everything you had been taught, led a life of misery and loneliness because of losing the one you loved. Your drive to see him again would be your greatest weakness, allowing his older brother to manipulate you, turning you to the dark side."

"Jacen?" Jaina said, her tone incredulous.

She felt a shift in the Force come from Anakin. She knew he'd had some strange visions of Jacen but it all seemed so unlikely. Jacen turn dark? The idea was laughable. Neither her brothers nor herself were in any danger of falling to the dark side. But – and it was a huge _but _– if that did happen Jacen was certainly the least likely of the three. Where Jaina and Anakin were aggressive by nature Jacen was the exact opposite of that. He always advocated for peace and understanding.

"Yes, your twin. His future is uncertain as well. He is another greatly impacted by Anakin's survival. When it was clear Anakin would die he should have gone after that voxyn creature alone. This one's actions," she said, pointing at Tahiri, "resulted in him staying back to help protect the two of them once they lost consciousness. Therefore, the group never split up so he was never captured by the Yuuzhan Vong as he should have been."

"I'd say that's a good thing," Jaina remarked. Jacen might be frozen in carbonite at the moment but that was far better in her opinion than being tortured as a prisoner of the Yuuzhan Vong.

She couldn't speak for the others but her mind was spinning with all these details of one possible future that had been avoided because her little brother had survived. It sounded like a nightmare of a future too and although it had been avoided it didn't seem to be without consequences. More disturbing than anything was how much Mena Anbra seemed to know about them and this alternate timeline.

Master Anbra addressed the group once more. "You came here looking for answers and I have given you all that I know. I am sorry but these visions Anakin Solo is experiencing will likely only get worse. The only way to stop them that I know of is for those two to be apart."

[*[*[*[*[*[

It was nearly dark by the time their encounter or whatever it was supposed to be – Jaina wasn't sure what to call it – with Meina Anbra came to an end. Corran made the decision to set up camp for the night and then they would set out for the _Jade Shadow_ at first light. She commed Kyp to let him know they'd be back before sundown tomorrow. When he asked what they found, she simply told him she would explain everything when she saw him. She had a feeling his Jedi Master intuition told him not to press her for more details as he accepted her answer without further questioning.

Jaina grabbed a box of rations from her pack even though she didn't have much of an appetite. She forced herself to eat though. Experience had long since taught her to never skip a meal just in case your next one was a long time coming. It was at least a half day's trek back to the ship and if Jag's intel was anything to go by there were at least a dozen different threats they could run into along the way – some creature related while others were the weather on Durace itself.

She joined Jag who was sitting around the small glow lamp that had been set up. Again, no fire as to not attract unwanted predators. The temperature dropped at night but Jaina could draw on the Force to help keep herself warm. Jag didn't have that luxury so he had bundled up in a thermal jacket.

"You did not wish to join Master Horn?" Jag asked as she sat down on the cold earth beside him.

She shrugged. "Didn't seem much point. Meina Anbra said everything she was going to say. If he wants to talk to her again that's his business – it won't do much good though. He probably also has some interest in learning from her since she's one of the few Old Republic Jedi to survive Vader's purge."

"And that doesn't interest you?"

Again, Jaina shrugged. "Unless she's going to tell us a way to defeat the Vong I'm not interested. Learning about traditions and way of life of the Jedi from the old days isn't going to do me much good now."

"You are very..." Jag trailed off, at a loss for the word he was looking for.

"Cynical? Pessimistic?" Jaina supplied helpfully.

"Either one of those works."

She swallowed a mouthful of rations before saying, "I didn't always used to be this way, you know. I've been fighting in this war since I was sixteen – that's four years now. It changes you – sometimes when you don't even realize it. It's not as if I'm not used to having people come after me. I'm the daughter of two Rebel Alliance heroes. I've lost track of how many kidnapping attempts there've been – some successful others not so much, and then humans or aliens of all kind trying to kill me. I'm just not used to people around me dying. No matter how many people die it never gets easier. I've tried telling myself I don't care or I didn't know them that well so it hurts less but it doesn't."

"It's not supposed to get easier. If it gets easier it means you lose a part of yourself. If you lose that part it means you forget why you're fighting and why you have to keep fighting."

"Is that how you felt after each of your siblings died?"

If Jag was surprised by the personal nature of her question he didn't show it. "To a certain extent, yes. But I was never as close to them as you are to Jacen and Anakin."

"That doesn't matter. They were still your family."

"Yes, but things are different where I'm from. Csilla has been at war or in some state of unrest my entire life. It's expected that you'll enroll in the military or science division – somewhere you can contribute to the good of the Ascendancy. Death is a part of everyday life, even for children. The average Chiss and human life span in the Unknown Regions is probably half of what it is in your galactic space. As soldiers you're trained to just shut it off and do your duty. Someone dies, you honor them by living to fight another day. There is no time given to grieve."

"Can you do that – just shut it off?"

"Sometimes, but it is difficult. I was raised by one set of beliefs – the Chiss Ascendancy – and another that came from my mother. The two quite often contradict each other," he added, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Considering who her brother is that's not surprising," Jaina said with a smile of her own.

"I am sorry we didn't get the answers you were looking for here," Jag said, turning serious once more.

"It doesn't mean we stop looking. That's just one Jedi Master's opinion."

"That almost sounds like optimism."

"I have to be for those two. Tahiri and Anakin deserve to be happy after everything they've been through. I can't accept that the only way to make Anakin's visions go away is for the two of them to be apart. What kind of kriffin sick joke is that?"

[*[*[*[*[*[

Anakin could count on one hand the number of words Tahiri had spoken since they had encountered Meina Anbra – not a good sign. The fact that she had yet to remove her boots although they had been sitting down together for some time now was even more disturbing. There was also the problem that Anakin was not much of a talker himself, which made it exceptionally hard to engage Tahiri in any kind of conversation. He purposely steered clear of any talk about his visions or anything they had learned from Meina Anbra. Or at at least until Tahiri seemed to have had enough with staying silent.

"You're avoiding talking about the one thing that's got us sitting here alone in the dark barely speaking to each other," she said softly.

"There's nothing to talk about," he said attempting to sound casual about the whole thing. "She confirmed you're connected to my visions. She gave us one possible option to stop them. It doesn't mean there aren't others."

"Anakin, she's a Jedi Master whose specialty is visions, predicting the future. If she can't help us, who can?"

"Where's all this negativity coming from? Weren't you the one who said if we didn't find answers, we'd just keep looking?"

"The problem is we found what we were looking for. We just didn't like the answer." She shook her head ruefully. "You were destined to die and that was supposed to make me turn into a Dark Jedi because I couldn't cope with it. I change the future by saving your life and now we can't be together because I'm the cause of your visions that are probably going to drive you crazy. How is that for fair?"

"We'll figure it out, okay?" He reached for her hand but she pulled away.

"No, Anakin, it's not okay," she sniffed, her green eyes glistening. "We can keep looking all we want but it doesn't change the fact that I'm hurting you just by being around."

"Tahiri – "

"Let's just go back to the others, okay?"

She walked away without waiting for his response. A sick feeling settled in the pit of Anakin's stomach as he knew this was a conversation that was far from over.

[*[*[*[*[*[

It was late at night on board the _Ralroost_, although no matter what time of day there was barely any traffic in the smaller cargo hold area – one of several aboard the ship. Unlike those other cargo holds though, there was an excessive amount of security. Holo cams lined the hallways at every intersection and there were two security droids posted outside a set of reinforced doors that were sealed shut. It would be an incredible task to make it through those doors if you did not have permission to be in that section of the ship. For a ship with a crew of over twelve hundred, only a handful of individuals had clearance to access it.

Three Galactic Alliance officers made their way down the empty corridor, ignoring the holo cams and coming to a stop in front of a set of security droids. Before the droids could scan the individuals to know they shouldn't be there, two amphistaffs uncurled from the arms of the officers and impaled themselves through the droids until they were nothing but smoking, useless heaps of metal.

The human skin from the officers peeled back as their ooglith masquers disappeared and Yuuzhan Vong stood where the humans had previously. Growling about the abomination the droids were, they pushed the charred remains aside.

One warrior removed a small circular object from a pouch on his waist and placed it on the door. All three warriors then took cover behind a nearby wall. Within seconds an explosion rocked the corridor and enough of the door was blown away for the three Yuuzhan Vong to step inside.

Ignoring the deafening blare of the ship's klaxon, the warriors walked into the cargo hold. It was completely empty save for one block of carbonite.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Alema was bored. _Really bored_. That thought stayed with as she docked her fighter after the routine scouting mission she had just flown.

Surprisingly, she found her boredom wasn't just due to Anakin's absence either. Sure, that had a lot to do with it, but what she really didn't like was being left behind while he was out risking his neck in the Unknown Regions. It was unnatural the way trouble seemed to find him – or how he would purposely put himself in harm's way time and time again. Add Vong Girl to the mix and it was a recipe for a whole lot of 'fighting for your life' while trying to stay alive when faced with impossible odds.

She had only stayed back because Anakin had asked her to. Apparently he didn't think having her and Tahiri holed up in a small ship together for days on end was such a good idea. She supposed she couldn't blame him for that, but she had promised to keep her flirtation down whenever the blond Jedi was around. She figured she owed Tahiri that much considering she had saved her life several months back – and Alema hated being in debt to anyone. Of course it wasn't her fault that Tahiri had left for Jedi training and she'd had Anakin all to herself. She knew Anakin was never going to choose her over Tahiri, but being close friends with him was better than nothing at all. It also meant she could have a little fun with him every now and then. He was so easy to embarrass.

Despite her agreeing to stay behind, she had demanded to know what in Hutt's name would require him to drop everything to travel to the Unknown Regions. She had known about his visions already but thought they had disappeared. Apparently they had come back with a vengeance and there was this Jedi Master who supposedly specialized in that sort of thing that he thought could help.

The fact that his sister, who never took a day off, was using a chunk of her accumulated leave to go with him told Alema it was a lot more serious than Anakin was making these visions out to be. Trust him to downplay something like that – just like he had with his injuries at Myrkr and it had very nearly cost him his life. She loved Anakin but sometimes he was even crazier than her – and that was saying something.

In Jaina's absence, she had left Zekk in charge of Rogue Squadron. For the life of her, Alema couldn't figure out why. That was the other part of the reason why she was so bored. Zekk was a competent enough pilot but he played it safe – too safe for Alema's liking. They were on the verge of facing annihilation by an enemy that showed no mercy. She believed they should return the gesture in kind and kill as many Vong as they could.

It was times like now, after returning from yet another uneventful scouting mission of the nearby Imperial sector to ensure the Vong weren't on their way, Alema realized how much she had undervalued Jaina Solo as squadron leader. She made Alema follow all her rules – a condition of allowing her into the squadron – but her flying style and even her personality at times were very similar to Anakin's. They were both impulsive, reckless and dedicated with a flare for dramatic rescues and death defying moves that would have other pilots blasted into space dust. It made her wonder what had gone wrong with their brother, Jacen. He couldn't be more different from his siblings. If it weren't for the simple fact that he and Jaina were twins she would swear he was adopted.

Before Alema even pushed up the canopy on her X-wing she could hear the warning klaxon blaring in the hanger bay. Was it another drill? Or were they under attack? That seemed unlikely considering she had just come from space and aside from Star Destroyers and Galactic Alliance ships nothing else had been in the vicinity.

Frowning, she stretched out with her senses to see if she could discern what was going on. When she found pockets in the Force, her mood darkened. _Vong_ – at least three of them. They were close by too if she had sensed them – or rather sensed the absence of them this quickly.

Zekk and Ganner, having disembarked from their own fighters, hurried over to her. From their expressions, they too had figured out there were Vong on the _Ralroost_.

"Looks like we've got a few stowaways," Ganner commented dryly.

"Looks that way," Alema responded with a snarl.

"How did they even make it on board?" Zekk said. "There's new security systems in place to prevent that."

By that he meant any cargo or personnel that boarded the _Ralroost_ were required to submit to screening by a Jedi to ensure they were not a Yuuzhan Vong hidding beneath an ooglith masquer.

Zekk's comlink went off in his pocket. He retrieved it and switched it on. "This is Zekk."

"_Zekk? Thank the Force you're back._"

Zekk's eyebrows rose. "Ambassador Solo?"

"_As you've probably already noticed we have a few Yuuzhan Vong onboard_," Leia hurried on, dispensing with any pleasantries. "_Are you still in the main hanger bay?_"

The three Jedi could hear the heavy concern, almost frantic tone of her voice. "Yes."

"_Those Yuuzhan Vong are after Jacen. They're in there with him right now and you can probably get there the fastest from where you are. Han and I are on our way with additional support._"

"We're on it," Zekk said and ended the transmission.

Alema's lips curled into a feral grin. Her boredom was about to end.

[*[*[*[*[*[

The corridor that led to the secluded cargo hold was eerily quiet. The warning klaxon that had been sounding through the ship for the last ten minutes had finally stopped. Whether that meant there were Yuuzhan Vong elsewhere and had taken control of the ship's systems or the head of security had finally realized the deafening noise wasn't helping, Zekk didn't know. At the moment it didn't matter either. His focus was on stopping the Yuuzhan Vong from taking his friend.

The cargo hold itself was anything but silent. As Ganner, Alema and himself moved stealthily toward it, a sharp angry sounding alien language could be heard following by a loud, resounding thud as something heavy was dropped.

Zekk's eyes widened in alarm at what he saw. The loud noise they'd heard had been the carbonite block dropping to the floor, no longer held up by anti grav generators. That wasn't the alarming part though. He had done enough supply runs with Peckham to know his way around carbonite pretty well. The sequence of flashing lights on the side panel along with the reddish hue tinting the carbonite told him the unfreezing process had been initiated.

"Please tell me that doesn't mean what I think it does," said Ganner, observing the same thing.

"It means exactly that," Zekk returned, his tone grim. "They've started the unfreezing process."

"I guess they didn't get the memo that says why he's in carbonite in the first place," said Alema. "They think they're kidnapping a Solo when they're just going to end up with a Jedi zombie."

The presence of the three Jedi did not go unnoticed by the extragalactic aliens in the room. One of the warriors spoke sharply in his native tongue to the other two. He seemed to be barking orders as himself and a second warrior advanced on the Jedi, while the last one remained behind to watch the carbonite.

Before Zekk could even utter a plan of attack, Alema's lightsaber sprang to life and she charged at the approaching warriors.

Zekk swore, his own lightsaber held protectively in front of him. Trust Alema to just rush in to the path of waiting Yuuzhan Vong and think she could take them on herself.

"Ganner, give Alema a hand," he spoke to the older Jedi. "I'll take the one by Jacen. There's still a chance I can stop the unfreezing process before it goes too far."

"I don't think Alema's going to appreciate me evening the odds," Ganner commented but he ran over to assist the Twi'lek nonetheless.

For a race that despised anything technological, it was eerie how familiar a Vong seemed to be around carbonite. Almost as if someone had taught him what to do. Zekk, however, didn't have the time to dwell on that any further as his lightsaber absorbed a forward slash by the warrior's amphistaff. He found himself in an impossible situation. He couldn't begin to stop the unfreezing process until he dealt with the warrior at hand. He could only imagine what it would do to Jaina to come back and find her twin having fully succumbed to the Sickness. That might be the breaking point for her. She'd already had enough close brushes to the Dark side he feared what losing Jacen would do to her.

He summoned several of the cargo crates in the room and sent them hurling at the warrior. They did what Zekk had hoped they would. The warrior was knocked off balance as he combated the large heavy objects flying at him from every direction. Zekk used that opening to push his attack, striking a hit beneath the vulnerable spot in the warrior's armor where there was no protection. The pain of the blow seemed to spur the warrior on and he came at Zekk harder than ever.

He didn't have time to see how Ganner and Alema were fairing against the own opponents, but frowned when he felt Alema's emotions. Excitement and enjoyment mixed in with barely controlled rage. At least with Ganner Zekk was relieved to see the older Jedi wasn't enjoying himself. He was focused and calm with a hint of a swagger – which wasn't altogether surprising considering it was Ganner. Alema was the one he needed to be worried about but he couldn't deal with that right then.

In his haste to end the battle, Zekk made the wrong move and the fanged mouth of the amphistaff head latched onto his shoulder. He used the Force to flush out the toxins from the bite but it left his attention divided and the warrior clubbed his legs out from under him before kicking him in the rib cage. Rather than finish him off, the warrior went back to the block of carbonite. Zekk watched in horror as the unfreezing process completed and the human form of Jacen Solo emerged from the carbonite.

Summoning every ounce of strength he had left, Zekk staggered to his feet. He watched as the Vong knelt over Jacen, hiding most of his unconscious form from sight. As he staggered forward, he got a closer look at what was going on. The Vong held what looked to be the organic equivalent of a syringe and placed it against Jacen's neck before pressing down on the end of it. Then it seemed to put something in his ear but he couldn't get a look at what it was.

Ganner, having defeated his own opponent, finished off the one Zekk had been attempting to take out.

Zekk felt his legs give out beneath him and would have collapsed to the ground if Alema hadn't caught him.

"Take it easy, Zekk," she said to him.

He ignored her and continued to move forward – albeit with Alema's help. "They put something in him," he told the two Jedi.

"We need to get him somewhere secure," said Ganner, voice grim.

The words had barely left his mouth when Jacen's parents, flagged by a contingent of Galactic Alliance soldiers entered the cargo bay.

Zekk saw their eyes immediately drawn toward their son who was starting to stir. He closed himself off to the Force at that moment, not wanting to feel their horror and pain because Jacen was going to turn completely now.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Jaina hung back near the _Jade Shadow_ while Jag held a quick meeting with Vanguard Squadron. When the group broke up, each pilot headed for his or her Clawcraft. With their purpose for being at Durace over, they would now be on their way to Csilla while the Dozen and _Jade Shadow_ made the trip back to Galactic space.

Ignoring the feeling like everyone in Vanguard was watching her, Jaina approached Jag. He was just preparing to board his fighter but stopped when he saw her.

"How long will it take you to reach Csilla?" She asked him.

"About a day," he responded.

"That's a lot better than what we're facing."

"The _Jade Shadow_ is quite the ship. It should provide for a comfortable ride out of the Unknown Regions."

"Oh, I'm sure everything with the ship will be fine. I even made a few modifications that should help with speed."

"You were referring to your brother and Tahiri," Jag said, realization dawning on him.

She nodded. "The two of them just feel _off_. Sorry, that's the only way I can describe it," she said, knowing it was difficult for him to understand. "Neither one of them is saying much but I know things have been different for them since we found Meina Anbra. Put me in a fighter and point to some skips that need vaping and I know exactly what to do. Sitting still isn't really my strong suit and short of hitting the holo libraries I don't know how else I can help either one of them right now," she said, frustration evident into her voice.

"It may seem hopeless now but I've gotten to know you Solos well enough to see that you have unnatural amounts of luck. I believe everything will sort itself out."

He meant his words to be comforting but all it did was serve to remind Jaina that he wouldn't be around to see anything sort itself out. It was moments like this she was grateful Jag wasn't Force sensitive so he wouldn't know how badly she wanted him to stay.

"So this is it, huh?"

"At least for awhile anyways."

Seconds ticked by with neither of them speaking. Maybe it was simply because there was nothing more to say. Short of some galactic miracle the chances of them seeing each other again were slim. She was glad Threepio wasn't around to calculate the odds. It was much more likely one or both of them would end up dead before the war was over.

She had told Zekk she didn't want a relationship. She had enough to worry about with her friends and family as it was without throwing a romance into the mix. It didn't mean she would always feel that way but a romantic attachment of any kind during war was only going to lead to heartache and more pain.

Even with that knowledge, she realized she could no longer deny the feelings she had for Jag, especially when faced with the prospect of saying good bye to him – if not forever, then for a very long time. Acting on a whim, she leaned up and kissed him. She could feel his immediate surprise and considered pulling away until she felt him return the kiss.

There had been a few brief moments over the years when Jaina had allowed herself to wonder what it would be like to kiss Jagged Fel. Reality proved to be much better than anything she could have imagined in her head. Never before had she experienced this level of raw emotion from Jag as his lips moved over hers.

When they finally parted, the only words Jaina said to him was, "stay alive out there, Jag." She didn't care that it came out sounding like a plea.

"You as well. Don't take any more risks than you have to."

At that, Jaina gave a small smile and nodded.

Jag proceeded to board his fighter as Jaina walked back to the _Jade Shadow_. Within five minutes, all of Vanguard Squadron was in the air destined for space.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Jacen Solo awoke feeling disoriented and like he had been left outside in the cold for too long. He opened his eyes and could only see darkness. He tried to move and felt himself being held in place by restraints. He didn't let himself panic – not yet anyway. He reached out with his senses to get a better understanding of his surroundings and was immediately overcome by an extreme wave of nausea and dizziness. Wherever he was it was not a favorable situation.

"Jacen, it's all right. You're safe."

He immediately recognized the voice. "Mom?"

"I'm right here and so is your father."

"How you feeling, kid?"

Jacen relaxed slightly at hearing the familiar voices of his parents. "I've been better," he responded with a shiver.

A moment later a blanket was thrown over top of him.

"Thanks. What's going? I can't see and why am I in restraints?"

"It was just a precaution," his mother explained to him. "We weren't quite sure what to expect when you woke up. Danni, I think your tests prove he's fine and he feels fine to me. Can we get these restraints off him?"

A moment later Jacen's hands and feet were released and he moved them to try and get the circulation back. It was no easy feat either considering he couldn't use the Force without feeling like he was going to pass out.

"You're feeling the effects of hibernation sickness," a voice Jacen recognized as Danni's spoke. "The blindness will go away soon and so should your other symptoms. I've never worked on anyone who's been through a carbonite freezing process but since you're a Jedi it might be effecting your other abilities as well."

"Carbonite?" Jacen repeated, a note of alarm in his voice.

"What's the last thing you remember?" His father asked him.

Jacen's mind was foggy but this time when he used the Force to help clear it the resulting side effects were much smaller. "I was on Valc trying to bring back the information the Imperials had on Project I71A so a vaccine could be made."

As Jacen said those words, a flash of images played back in his mind – being infected by the creatures he encountered there; asking Anakin to end his life before he turned; Tahiri frantically trying to heal him; saying good bye to Tenal Ka; Anakin's plan to encase him in carbonite to stop the sickness from spreading and then nothing.

"You found a cure?" He said suddenly.

"Not us, the Yuuzhan Vong."

"Zekk?"

"Yeah, it's me Jacen."

"Who else is here?" He didn't like not being able to fully sense everything going on around him. That was more disorienting than anything else.

"Just us and a few armed guards outside the room," his father answered. "Your brother and sister are off on a mission right now."

"Could someone please explain how the Yuuzhan Vong cured me?"

"We're not sure how they did it," Danni replied. "The Yuuzhan Vong boarded the _Ralroost _and were trying to kidnap you. They released you from carbonite and from what Zekk saw it looks like they injected you with something. It seemed to reverse the effects of the Project I71A virus. We ran dozens of tests but as far as we can see there's no trace of it in your system. You're completely cured."

"You sound troubled," Jacen observed. Without his eyes functioning he was relying more on his other senses to help him out.

"We've managed to create an inoculation against the virus – thanks to the research you brought back from Valc – but a cure has proven to be much trickier. We've spent months studying the virus and have just begun lab trials to test several variations of what we think is a cure. Yet, it looks like the Yuuzhan Vong have already found one. I've taken some samples of your blood to see if we can replicate it."

Jacen felt a shiver that had nothing to do with hibernation sickness. "Months? How long was I in carbonite?"

"Almost four months," his mother answered.

Jacen sucked in a sharp breath of air. How much had changed in that time? What was going on with the war? Where was Tenal Ka and was she all right? Instead of asking any of those he settled for, "why would they do that – cure me?"

"Because Shimrra wants you, your sister and your brother delivered to him on a platter," Han scowled. "He probably figured there was never going to be an easier way to kidnap one of you, and knowing the Vong he would want you to be cured so he could torture you," he finished darkly.

"We're still figuring out how the Yuuzhan Vong got on the ship," Zekk spoke. "There's no way they could have gotten through the new checkpoints without help."

"We're handling it," his mother told him and Jacen felt her reach for his hand. "You just need to rest."

"Yeah, take it from someone who knows what hibernation sickness feels like," his father added. "You have the luxury of lying in a bed to recover and not battling mercenaries in the middle of a sarlacc pit. I wasn't so lucky."

Jacen let out a small chuckle, remembering how many times his father had told that story to Jaina, Ankain and himself growing up. At the thought of his siblings, he said, "so what's this mission Jaina and Anakin are on?"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

It was a reunion that was long overdue for the Skywalkers and Solos. All members of the respective families were present save for Ben Skywalker who was safely tucked away on the _Errant Venture_ with the other Jedi children.

When Jaina and Anakin had returned from the Unknown Regions they had immediately received a comm transmission from their mother informing them that Jacen was out of carbonite and perfectly healthy. That was probably the only news that could bring the both of them out of the sullen moods they'd been in since leaving Durace.

Jacen flashed his siblings a tired but genuine grin. "I'd say it's good to see you two but you're little more than a couple of blurs."

"Glad to see your sense of humor is still intact," Jaina remarked, coming over and enveloping her twin in a fierce hug.

"Easy sweetheart, I think you're crushing him," Han commented, with some amusement.

Jaina released her twin and swatted playfully at her dad's arm.

Where Jaina had rushed to Jacen's side, Anakin hung back. It was partly due to shock at seeing Jacen so _normal_ and partly because it reminded him all too well of why Jacen was lying in a med bunk to begin with.

"Looks like your crazy idea to encase me in carbonite worked after all."

Jacen's tone was light, which only contributed to making Anakin feel worse. He swallowed. "You were still infected. I don't understand, what changed? Did Danni develop a cure while we were gone?"

"Your parents were just in the middle of explaining everything to us when you arrived," said Mara. "It might be a good idea if you start back at the beginning for the sake of these two," she finished, indicating to Anakin and Jaina.

Jaina and Anakin listened intently to their parents recount the attempted kidnapping by the Yuuzhan Vong and how they had released Jacen from carbonite only to cure him. Though no one said it out loud they were all thinking the same thing Han had expressed earlier - what would be the point in capturing one of the infamous Solo children if he was nothing more than a walking corpse?

"Have you talked to Admiral Kre'fey?" Jaina asked. They obviously had a big security leak on their hands if three Yuuzhan Vong warriors had managed to sneak their way onboard undetected.

"Yes," Leia responded with a nod. "He's already started a full investigation. They'll be reviewing every single ship that's docked with the _Ralroost _over the last month to see if that's how the Yuuzhan Vong were able to slip onboard."

"Or get help coming onboard," Mara added darkly.

"And Danni's sure there's no trace of the disease left in him?" Luke asked.

"There's some follow up tests she wants to run but everything points to the fact that he's perfectly healthy," Han replied.

"Does she think she'll be able to use Jacen's blood to speed up finding a cure?" Jaina asked.

Leia nodded. "She's confident with the samples she's taken from Jacen, along with the blood she already got from Tahiri, that it shouldn't be much longer before they're ready to start testing it."

"Speaking of Tahiri, I'd like to see her," said Jacen. "I owe her a lot. She's the reason I didn't change."

"I'll tell her the next time I see her," Anakin responded. He didn't like the way Jacen was looking at him afterward. Without his eyesight, Anakin had a feeling he was reading him through the Force after hearing something in his voice that sounded off.

"Well? Are you going to tell us what happened on Durace?" Mara asked her niece and nephew. "Luke's been dying to know if you found that Jedi Master."

Jaina looked over at Anakin who merely shrugged in response. Jaina, taking the cue from her brother, took it upon herself to explain everything to the others.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Jaina left the medical center in high spirits. Sure, they had a definite issue on their hands if Vong could roam around the _Ralroost_ undetected but Admiral Kre'fey had already started a full investigation into the matter. Though Jaina didn't have much like for Bothans – mostly because of Borsk Fey'la and everything he tried to do to run her mother's good name into the ground – she trusted Kre'fey. The man had already more than proven himself as a solid leader during the course of the war. She would leave it in his hands to figure out what had happened and if he needed the Jedi to help at any point in time she would be more than willing to volunteer. In the meantime she chose to focus on the positive - Jacen was completely cured. Jaina would almost go as far to say it was a miracle. Though the Vong had their sick and twisted reasons for doing it, if Danni could manufacture a cure from Jacen there would be a lot more lives they could save. That would be a big victory indeed.

No longer having to worry about her twin, she could now focus her full attention on Rogue Squadron. She had never been away from the Rogues for such a long stretch of time and was itching to get back in the cockpit of her X-wing. Her first order of business was to check in with Zekk. She had left him in charge because he was not only the best pilot in the group aside from herself but she also trusted him the most. His style of leadership might be different but she knew he would do everything in his power to keep the pilots alive.

Her visit to his quarters wasn't all business though. She knew that Zekk, along with Ganner and Alema had battled the Yuuzhan Vong who had tried to take Jacen. From what she had been told, he had been injured – though nothing a Jedi couldn't recover from fairly quickly with a little help from the Force.

When Zekk answered his door his surprise at seeing her was readily apparent. "I heard you were back but I thought you'd be with Jacen."

"I was. We had a little family reunion but he's still recovering from the hibernation sickness so I think we tired him out."

"Other than that he's all right?"

"You saw him yourself. He's fine – completely cured. No desire to munch on anything human."

Zekk scratched the back of his head, appearing uncertain. "I know... it's just I thought I saw the Vong put something in him." He shook his head as if trying to clear it. "I don't know maybe I just imagined it. I was practically unconscious at the time."

"Yeah, I heard about your three rounds with a Vong warrior," Jaina said, eyeing him over. There was a myriad of shallow cuts and bruises lining his face. "How are you feeling?"

"Nothing a few hours in a healing trance can't fix."

"You did get checked out by Cighal, right? I heard you got an amphistaff bite."

"Is that deep seated concern for me that I detect in your voice?" Zekk teased and Jaina blushed. "Yes, she healed my more serious injuries. What about you? How was Durace?"

"If you invite me in I'll tell you everything."

"Oh, right. Sorry," he said, sounding sheepish. He gestured for her to come inside.

Despite everything that had changed between them over the years, Zekk was still her best friend. She realized a while back that she never wanted to lose that. That meant she had to stop punishing him every chance she got for taking off after graduating from the Jedi Academy, only to resurface a few years later to join the Myrkr mission. Though things had been strained between them recently, they were trying to work past that – at least Jaina was.

"How did Anakin and Tahiri react to everything?" He asked when she was done.

"About as well as you can expect," she responded with a sigh. "I can feel it's eating away at both of them. I gave them a motivational speech on how that was just one person's opinion and we'll keep looking but I don't think it really convinced either one of them."

"From their point of view, it probably seems like a hopeless situation right now. Not to mention unfair."

_Unfair_ was certainly the first word that came to mind for Jaina. The Force really had a sick sense of humor if Tahiri saving Anakin's life meant they could never be together.

"I heard Vanguard Squadron got recalled to Csilla."

He tried to say it casually but Jaina knew him too well to fall for that. "It's true. They helped get us to Durace and then we parted ways."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Zekk shifted uncomfortably. "Look, I know you probably don't want to talk about it with me but I've sensed how things have changed between you and Jagged Fel."

As much as he tried to mask it, Jaina picked up on the jealousy in his voice. "You're right. It's probably not a good idea that we talk about it. What I'm really interested to know is how things went with Rogue Squadron while I was gone," she finished, quickly changing gears. As far as she was concerned Jag was not a topic that was up for discussion – especially with Zekk of all people

As she listened to Zekk update her on the squadron, Jaina realized how quickly her good mood had disappeared. She owed it all to a certain Clawcraft pilot she would probably never see again.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Nom Anor's attempt to capture Jacen Solo had failed miserably. That was the only conclusion he could come to. The warriors he had sent to infiltrate the _Ralroost_ were days overdue returning. Since he had anticipated this would happen it now meant his backup plan could be put into motion. Although the Yuuzhan Vong he had sent would have no doubt been killed, he knew it would not have been before executing his secondary orders should the attempt to extract Jacen Solo prove to be in jeopardy. It would be a few days, however, before Nom Anor could be absolutely certain of that.

Although his original plan had been foiled, what mattered most were the Yuuzhan Vong had made it onto the infidels ship without detection. If that had not happened, everything would have been a complete failure. Advances made by the Shaper caste working under him solved that annoying issue. The shapers had created a new breed of masquer. This Gablith masquer, as it was called, could be sensed in the Force. It blocked the Force-void the Jedi talked about, which made it impossible to detect a Yuuzhan Vong that was wearing one.

Alone in the privacy of his personal chambers, Nom Anor allowed himself a brief smile. Very soon he would be able to report his success of the flagship infiltration to Shimrra, along with the implantation of their most useful spy yet. Not only would he pass completely undetected but he would have no idea that he was being controlled – that thoughts and ideas would appear in his head as if they were his own. It would all serve to provide much needed intelligence on the Galactic Alliance and Jedi before Nom Anor gave the final command that would bring Shimrra what he wanted so desperately – the Solo children.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Tahiri absently skimmed through the news on the holo player in Anakin's room. It was nothing if not depressing but at least it didn't make her want to fall asleep. The only other reading material Anakin had in his room were technical journals on ship specs, droids and other boring subjects that gave Tahiri a headache after reading the first few sentences. It made her realize no matter how close they were there would always be things that made them vastly different from one another.

She felt Anakin's approach long before he entered his quarters. She detected his surprise at finding her there. It wasn't as if she had been avoiding him – well, maybe just a little. They had only been back from Durace a few days and she'd spent most of that time training with Master Horn, hoping it would help her focus and figure out what to do next. The truth was she had known all along what needed to be done. It was just a matter of working up the guts to do it.

Anakin walked over to the desk she was sitting at. "Looks depressing," he commented, glancing over her shoulder at the screen where she was reading about yet another Yuuzhan Vong attack near the Core.

"It's not as if there's any Tahiri-friendly things in here to read."

Anakin's response to that was to say, "you've practically moved all your clothes in here. Why don't you just bring the rest of your stuff?"

Tahiri shut off the holo player. "We need to talk."

She felt his mood change at those words. When your girlfriend said the _we need to talk_ line it was never a good sign.

"Okay. What do you want to talk about?"

She had spent hours thinking about it. In fact, it was impossible not to think about anything else but what Meina Anbra had told them regarding Anakin's visions. Anakin _should_ have died. It made her sick just thinking about it. Fate had decided his life would end at Myrkr but her stubbornness and refusal to let him sacrifice himself had changed everything. Anakin had not only lived but it had triggered a permanent change in their relationship, cementing the fact that they were much more than best friends. Now in the cruelest way possible Anakin was being punished for living and it was because of her.

She spoke very quickly before she could lose her nerve. "Until we figure out another way to stop your visions, we should probably spend some time apart."

Anakin's eyes widened at that, not quite believing what he was hearing. Surely she couldn't mean what he thought she did.

"I can't keep hurting you, Anakin," she went on when he didn't say anything. "First, you can't sleep at night and then I find out from Jaina you had a vision the other day and nearly crashed your X-wing."

Anakin found his voice then. "You've been talking to her about me?"

She could feel his anger, but plunged on saying, "at least I know she'll be honest with me. You keep trying to hide how much this is affecting you. I didn't have any other choice."

"I'm working through it," he said stubbornly.

"You can't work through it as long as I'm nearby – as long as we're close."

"So your solution is to just be apart? How is that going to fix anything?"

"It's not a solution. It just means you stop losing your mind while we search for another alternative."

"Search separately, you mean."

Tahiri rose and looked directly into his ice blue eyes. "Do you think this was an easy decision for me to make?" She practically shouted at him, feeling herself on the verge of tears. "I love you, Anakin! I want to be selfish and just continue to be with you while we figure this out, but this is killing you – and it's killing me knowing I'm the one responsible. I don't want to do this but I don't know what else to do to help you right now."

Tears were flowing freely down her face now. Anakin moved toward her but she pushed him away. It was only going to make this harder if she allowed herself to be comforted by him. She had to stick to her resolve, no matter what her heart was screaming at her.

"Tahiri, please don't do this."

She felt his plea through the Force every bit as desperate as his voice. It was all too much. She tried to shut it out but this close to him their connection was overpowering. She was drowning in Anakin's emotions as well as her own.

"It's only temporary," she said in a low, shaky voice. "We'll be back together before either one of us really has a chance to miss the other." She tried to smile but it didn't work because her lips were trembling so much.

She pressed her lips to his in what was supposed to be a quick, chaste kiss but Anakin, sensing she was going to pull away, cupped both her cheeks with his hands. Their kiss intensified until Tahiri agonizingly forced herself to pull away from him.

Without another word, she bolted from his quarters. She knew if Anakin pleaded with her one more time, her resolve would crumble and she would end up doing the selfish thing she so desperately wanted to do.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"You're a hard person to find these days."

Tahiri looked up from where she was seated on a mat, stretching in preparation for her morning training session with Master Horn. If she looked surprised it's because she was. Jacen Solo was the last person she'd expect to be looking for her – especially this early in the day.

"Jedi training keeps me busy," she informed him.

"I wanted to thank you for Valc. I asked Anakin to pass on the message to you but considering your situation I'm not surprised he didn't tell you."

"You don't owe me any thanks. I wasn't able to cure you," she said, choosing to ignore Jacen's comment about his brother. It was hard enough being away from Anakin that talking about him just made her feel even worse.

"That doesn't change the fact that what you did was amazing. I received a lethal dose of that virus. I should have turned completely within minutes but you kept the virus at bay long enough to get me into carbonite. If I had changed completely I probably wouldn't be standing here."

"I'm glad everything worked out for you, Jacen. I guess that's the one thing we can thank the Yuuzhan Vong for because even with the right training I don't think I would have been able to do it."

"So you've stopped trying to heal people?"

Tahiri nodded. "It draws too much on my Yuuzhan Vong side and I lose control," she responded, suppressing a shudder as she remembered what happened the last time she had used her powers on Dagobah.

"Perhaps that's because you haven't found a way to balance your Yuuzhan Vong and human halves," Jacen said intuitively. "The reason you have an ability to heal – or rather, absorb other's pain and injuries – is because of your shaping. It makes sense that you have to draw on that side of you in order to do what you do. When you draw on it too much your alter ego comes to the surface and takes over. If I remember correctly you were okay when you helped Alema on Dathomir but I felt a darker side of you when you tried to save me on Valc. The only differences between those situations is the infection was in a much more advanced state in me than it was in Alema."

"Master Horn said something similar, but It doesn't matter anymore," she said dismissively. "With all the side effects that come from using my ability I've had enough close calls to know I shouldn't be trying to play god."

"Maybe I could help you."

Tahiri blinked, her surprise emanating through the Force and the espression on her face.

Jacen allowed himself a brief smile at her reaction. "I know that Master Horn has tried to help you but maybe he's not the right teacher for your abilities. He's a great Jedi Master but he doesn't have the same affinity for living creatures that I do. I think that's important for what you're trying to do."

"Why would you want to help me?" Her tone was unintentionally suspicious, but she was very curious to know why Anakin's brother would want to help her with anything.

"I know your impression of me is probably largely shaped by my relationship with Anakin. I'm trying to work on our... _issues_ but it's not easy. I just want to return the favor - you helped me and now I'd like to do the same for you."

Tahiri mulled over his words before saying, "I'm leaving on a mission with Master Horn tomorrow but I'll give it some thought."

Jacen inclined his head. "I'll be ready when you are."

By the time Master Horn appeared for their training session, Jacen was long gone. His offer to help her, however, was still very much at the forefront of Tahiri's mind.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Anakin rummaged through the small refrigeration unit in the kitchen of his parents quarters looking for something to eat. There were not a whole lot of options.

"Mom and Dad running late?"

"Yeah," Anakin responded, without turning around to face his older brother. "They called just before you got here. They'll be at least another twenty minutes."

"If you find something to eat, I'll have whatever you're having."

From the refrigeration unit, Anakin pulled out two Almakian apples, tossing one to Jacen.

"I know I didn't agree with you at the time but it was the right call to go to Valc."

Anakin took his time chewing a mouthful of apple so he didn't have to respond right away. He found once he swallowed, though, he still didn't know what to say.

"What happened to me wasn't your fault, Anakin."

"You wouldn't have even been down there in the first place if it wasn't for my idea," Anakin countered.

"I know I haven't exactly been your biggest supporter but you are a good leader, Anakin. And even good leaders lose people under their command. You can be reckless and fool hardy, yes, but you always act with the best intentions. What?" He saw Anakin fixing him with a strange look.

Anakin shrugged. "I was just wondering if you were really my brother Jacen or a Yuuzhan Vong in disguise. I can't remember the last time you complimented me on anything."

"I think you were fourteen," said a new voice.

Both brothers turned to see an amused Jaina standing in the kitchen doorway.

"Glad to see my two favorite brothers talking instead of butting heads over philosophical ideals."

"We're your only brothers, Jaina," Anakin remarked wryly.

"What Anakin said," Jacen echoed.

Jaina grinned. "Wow, now you're agreeing on things. Maybe you're both Yuuzhan Vong in disguise."

At that, Anakin and Jacen rolled their eyes in the direction of their sister.

"Anyways," Jaina continued, her grinning broadening. "I didn't mean to interrupt your bonding moment but Jacen you have a call on the holonet. There's a Queen Mother of the Hapes Consortium looking to speak with you."

"Tenal Ka?" He croaked, his mouth suddenly very dry. "How did she know?"

It was Jaina's turn to roll her eyes. "You've been out of carbonite for days and haven't gotten around to calling her so I took matters into my own hands. If she seems a little upset that you didn't tell her yourself just be glad she's hundreds of light years away and can't actually hurt you. She's waiting for you in mom's office."

Face flushed, Jacen left the kitchen heading in the direction of their mother's office.

With Jacen gone, Jaina turned her attention to her younger brother.

Under her scrutinizing gaze, Anakin felt like he was about to be cross-examined in a courtroom. He decided to fend off the two questions that she wasa about to ask him. "No, I'm not fine and no, you don't have to worry about me."

"I know you like to keep everything bottled up inside but if you want to talk I'm here to listen," said Jaina, her tone sympathetic.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Have you talked to Tahiri?"

"No. It's not like I haven't tried either. She's even dampened our Force bond to the point I can barely feel her through it."

Jaina's heart went out to him. She could hear his suffering in his voice and what leaked out through the Force – that was until he tightened his mental barriers again.

"I meant what I said about helping you guys," Jaina continued. "I know Rogue Squadron is heading to Hoth for a few days but after that we'll refocus and figure out what to do next, okay?"

Anakin nodded but his expression didn't change. It's not that he wasn't grateful for Jaina's help but it was hard not to take a defeatist approach to the whole thing. If a Jedi Master who specialized in visions couldn't help – aside from saying the only way to make his visions stop was for himself and Tahiri not to be around each other – it didn't bode well that there would be other options available for them to explore.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Danni Quee was a scientist. Originally, an astrophysicist, most who knew her now probably had no idea that had been her field. Since the Yuuzhan Vong had entered the galaxy she had become one of the foremost experts on the invading aliens and their biotechnology. Her degree in _Vongology _– as some of the other scientists liked to tease her good-naturedly about – made her the best person to conduct a follow up examine on Jacen Solo to ensure there were no remnants of Project I71A in his system. No less important, her examine was also to ensure the mysterious cure that had been administered to him had no side effects.

Although not a doctor, she now understood their grumblings about how Jedi made the worst patients.

"Is all this really necessary?" Jacen asked her, from where he was lying on his back on an examination table. "Dr. Tamburino already ran every medical examination she knew of on me and everything came back normal."

"Humor me," was all Danni said to him.

"If that's what you're looking for, I've got a few jokes I could tell you."

Danni felt the beginnings of a smile form on her face. "From what I've been told, that would probably have the opposite effect."

Jacen pretended to look hurt and Danni laughed.

Jacen remained silent for the rest of her medical scans of his brain and body. He was probably right in if there had been anything to find it would have turned up in the tests that had been run on him once he had been removed from carbonite. But 'probably' left room for a margin of error that didn't sit well with the former ExGal scientist.

"There, all done," she told him. "See, that wasn't so bad."

Jacen sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the table. "So if these tests of yours come back negative, that means I get a clean bill of health?"

She nodded. "Even if there's something dormant in your system we should be able to see it. Our ability to detect Yuuzhan Vong organisms and just about anything else they use has greatly improved. In fact, there's a number of experiments we're running on samples of their biotech we've collected to see if we can engineer a way to use them to our benefit."

Jacen arched an eyebrow. "Really? Sounds impressive."

"It is – I mean, it will be if anything turns up. Right now we're just running lab tests and other experiments. Most of it though, is just theory at this point."

Jacen locked his eyes on Danni. "I'd like to see what you're working on."

"Sure, let me show you," she responded instantly.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Helmet in hand, Jaina strode across the _Ralroost's_ hanger bay. Rogue Squadron had just returned from a simple recon of the nearby Core systems to see whether the Yuuzhan Vong had expanded their infiltration beyond Coruscant. For the moment it seemed like they were focused on Vongforming Coruscant and not on conquering nearby planets. That meant the Galactic Alliance had time to evacuate some of the nearby Core worlds.

Thanks to the negotiations her mother had worked on with the Imperial Moffs and Grand Admiral Palleon, the Imperial Remnant was willing to lone several of its older model Star Destroyers to aid with the evacuations. They were even going so far as to provide one of their more unpopulated worlds as a safe haven for refugees.

Even with her mother's skills as a diplomat Jaina hadn't been expecting all that much support from the Remnant. Apparently Anakin's mission to Valc VII to retrieve the data necessary to manufacture a vaccine for Project I71A had gone a long way to helping their cause. That, and the Moffs had demanded full disclosure on all discoveries made by the Galactic Alliance – both military and scientific.

Considering the direction the war was taking, it seemed a small price to pay in Jaina's mind. Not that she trusted the Remnant by any means. But they were desperate and when a group was willing to share military support that outmatched what the Galactic Alliance currently had available, she was willing to look the other way for the time being. She had never really understood the expression _the enemy of my enemy is my friend_ until a few months ago.

Her attention was suddenly directed to Anakin, walking ahead of her. It wasn't hard to discern what – or rather, _who_ he was looking at across the hanger bay. She watched as Tahiri and he made eye contact briefly, before Anakin turned away first and kept walking.

Without really thinking about what she was doing, Jaina altered course and headed for a small, nondescript looking ship.

"Going somewhere?" She asked the petite blond who was closing up a storage crate at the bottom of the ship's boarding ramp.

"Carratos," she replied. "There have been reports that Yuuzhan Vong agents may already be on the planet. Master Horn and I are going to check it out."

Jaina frowned. "The two of you are going alone?"

"It's not like there's a lot of Jedi to spare these days. Besides, if the Yuuzhan Vong are not acting out in the open that means they're not ready to annihilate or enslave the planet. We just need to see what they're up to."

"Sounds simple enough," said Jaina, "but we know how quickly things can go downhill."

"Says the person who's supposed to be setting up a research facility on Hoth."

Jaina grinned. "At least on Carratos you'll be warm."

"Not to sound rude or anything but I know you have better things to do than to make small talk with me," Tahiri said abruptly.

From everything Jaina knew about the young woman, she figured the direct approach would probably be best. "Anakin's completely miserable and I can see you are too."

"Did he ask you to talk to me?"

"No," Jaina answered truthfully. "You know Anakin, he likes to brood and suffer inside his fortress of solitude rather than talk about how he's feeling."

At Jaina's comment, Tahiri allowed herself a brief smile. "Yes, that sounds like Anakin."

"But he's not a droid," Jaina continued. "No matter how tightly sealed he thinks his mental barriers are things leak through. I'm his sister and we're close so it's not that hard for me to see what he's going through."

"His visions have stopped, right?"

"As far as I can tell," Jaina replied, nodding. "He told me you dampened the Force bond connection you two have. Are you sure that's safe considering the whole joined-soul thing or whatever it is that you have going on?"

"Anakin's not in any danger," Tahiri assured her.

"I wasn't just worried about my brother."

That caused Tahiri to go silent for several moments, clearly not expecting Jaina's comment."Master Horn's been working with the two of us for awhile now so our connection doesn't prevent us from being separated for long periods of time over great distances; like when I was on Dagobah. Learning how to dampen our bond was one of the things we worked on," she explained. "I never wanted this, Jaina," Tahiri continued before the older woman could try and make her second guess her decision. "I love Anakin. He's my best friend – my everything. But I was hurting him – _I_ was causing his visions. I know I'm hurting him now but I was hurting him even worse before, even if he doesn't see it that way. Wouldn't you do the same if you were in my position?"

Jaina's silence was all the answer Tahiri needed.

"I volunteered for Carratos," she admitted to the older woman. "I need to put some distance between myself and your brother. Being here, it's too tempting to just be with him. We've never been separated like this before. Even when Anakin left the Jedi academy and I stayed behind we still had that closeness. It feels like I've lost a limb. It's gone but I can still feel it and it hurts."

"I know I can't fully understand what the two of you are going through because I don't have that kind of connection with anyone but I do understand in a way – if that makes any sense."

"What about Jag?"

Jaina found herself completely caught off guard by Tahiri's comment and it showed.

"It may not be obvious to a lot of people but you were different around him. I saw you kiss him on Durace. I wasn't spying," Tahiri added quickly at seeing Jaina's expression. "I just happened to stumble across the two of you."

"Jag and I are different," Jaina began, choosing her words carefully. "I knew from the start he was only here temporarily. Now he's gone and anything that might have been won't happen. I'm not losing any sleep over it." Jaina was grateful when Tahiri didn't press for more details. As far as she was concerned there was nothing more to talk about – and it unnerved her to no end that Tahiri, someone she wasn't close to at all, had observed the subtle changes in her relationship with Jag. "I've already told Anakin, I'm going to help you two in any way I can," she spoke again, turning the conversation back to their original discussion.

"Thank you," Tahiri said, her voice full of appreciation, "but I'm not expecting any miracles."

Tahiri's body language mimicked Anakin's when Jaina had said the same thing to him. It seemed like the two had already come to the same conclusion – that by changing their fate they were now destined to be apart.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

By order of Admiral Kre'fey, all pilots and other military personnel were to submit to a full medical examination prior to leaving on any extended missions. Call it paranoia but it was just one more way for the Galactic Alliance to ensure no one being sent out to fight was in no way under the influence of the Yuuzhan Vong. It also served another more subtle purpose of ensuring all personnel were in peak mental and physical condition before risking their lives, or that of those they would be fighting alongside. For the former, there was no person more suited to scan for signs of Yuuzhan Vong activity than Danni Quee.

"I never realized it until a few days ago but Jedi do make the worst patients," Danni commented as she finished her routine examination of Zekk and moved on to Anakin. "Your brother falls into that group as well."

Anakin chuckled. "That's probably because he spent a large chunk of his childhood and early teenage years being treated for every known type of insect and animal bite in the galaxy. For someone as smart as him, you think he would have had better control of his pets."

"I'll make sure to bring that up the next time I see him," noted Danni.

"He's fine though, right?" Anakin asked her, a part of him still in disbelief that his older brother was no longer in any danger of falling victim to the Sickness.

"Yes, he's perfectly healthy. It looks like the Yuuzhan Vong actually did him a favor."

Zekk snorted. "Now that's hard to believe."

"Speaking of the Yuuzhan Vong," Danni started, "we've made a lot of scientific strides over the last little while. There's actually one item in particular I was hoping to get your help with, Anakin."

Anakin blinked, surprised. "Me?"

"Yes. Of all the Jedi you have shown the greatest potential for being able to vaguely sense them thanks to the lambent in your lightsaber. It's personally connected to you and acts like a conduit relaying that information to your Force senses. There's a serum we've developed that contains traces of harvested lambents. If it works they way I think it will it would greatly equally the playing field between Jedi and Yuuzhan Vong."

"So you want Anakin to be your guinea pig?" Zekk surmised, catching on.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. It passed all the lab trials but in order to ensure it actually works as intended we need a living test subject. My hope is since Anakin already has a personal attachment to a lambent that the serum will react positively with it and boost his ability to sense the Yuuzhan Vong."

"Are there any side effects?" Anakin asked the scientist.

"None that we've detected so far," Danni answered. "But again, we've only done lab trials."

Zekk groaned. "Anakin, I know that look. You're actually considering this."

Anakin made no comment, quietly pondering what Danni was asking him to do. Yes, the serum was completely untested on a living being but this could give Jedi the upper hand when fighting Vong. For so long they had been fighting at a disadvantage. How many Jedi might still be alive if they had been able to sense the Yuuzhan Vong?

"Since I'll be going with you to Hoth to help set up the science facility there, I can closely monitor Anakin's condition," Danni added, as if that would help sway his decision.

"If I don't do it someone else is just going to have to volunteer," Anakin said, as if that were the deciding factor for him. "Like Danni said, a lambent's already bonded with me so I'm probably the best candidate."

Zekk sighed. "You do realize Jaina's going to kill me for letting you do this."

"I won't tell her you were here."

"That doesn't make me feel any better about this, Anakin."

Zekk soon abandoned any other protests as they quickly become pointless. It was clear the youngest Solo had made his choice.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Experimentally, Tahiri moved her left arm. _Definitely broken_, she concluded taking a shaky breath. That was what happened when you took on a Yuuzhan Vong, easily more than double your size. It wasn't as though she had been left with any other choice. Together, she and Corran had exposed the fact that there were indeed Yuuzhan Vong operating covertly on Carratos. Their mission had strictly been to gather intel but in Tahiri's experience things rarely ever went as planned.

In exposing the underground Yuuzhan Vong operation, Tahiri and Corran's cover had been blown as Tahiri had insisted they rescue the beings that had been captured. They were destined to become slaves and as Jedi she felt it was their duty to stop that from happening. Hence the broken arm and other minor injuries she had sustained in the mini battle that had ensued. They had managed to save most of the captives and destroyed the small Yuuzhan Vong presence on Carratos thanks to the assistance of the planet's own military presence. All things considered, Tahiri felt it had been a pretty successful mission. She wasn't, however, delusional to think that the Yuuzhan Vong threat on Carratos was over. It would only be a matter of time before the invading aliens came in full force to cull the entire planet for worker slaves. In preparation for that, evacuation plans were already being put into effect by the planet's government. The Hapes Cluster was quickly becoming one of the major refugee points in the galaxy, as they had the resources to sustain the increased population, so it was likely Carratos' inhabitants would end up there.

"You'll need to get that arm looked at when we get back," said Corran as he entered a set of coordinates into the nav computer.

"I can take care of it."

"Please don't take this the wrong way, Tahiri, but I'm not sure I can trust you on that. I saw the kind of punishment you took down there and if anything it seemed to exhilarate you rather than slow you down."

Tahiri opened her mouth to object, then thought better of it and clamped it shut. There was no sense in lying to her teacher. He would just see right through it anyways.

"Should I be worried about you?"

"No. I'm fine."

He seemed to deliberate on whether to call her out on that. In the end he simply said, "from my vantage point, I've never seen you more dedicated to your training and development as a Jedi. However, I've also noticed you seem to have traded mental pain for the physical kind. It may seem like the easier way to cope with certain things, but it's dangerous – especially for someone like you."

"I know all that, Mater Horn."

"Good, but even though you know all that I will still be personally escorting you to the medical wing when we get back to the _Ralroost_."

"Yes, Master Horn."

[*[*[*[*[*[

Freezing. Desolate. These were the first words that came to mind as Jaina climbed out of her X-wing and into the harsh climate of Hoth. How was it that her squadron had drawn the unlucky sabacc hand to set up a scientific research post on a planet that was permanently covered in ice and snow?

"Hope you remembered to pack warm," said Ganner, projecting his voice to be heard over the howling wind.

"I hope I'm not here long enough to unpack anything," was her response.

They had landed just outside what had once been a secret base of the Rebel Alliance – that was until the Empire had tracked the rebels there and they had been forced to evacuate. Since the Yuuzhan Vong seemed to stay away from extremely cold planets for the most part, Hoth seemed like the perfect place to set up a research station.

The dangers of having the best and brightest scientists hanging out on the _Ralroost_ – a ship that was constantly on the front lines – meant the Galactic Alliance could lose a lot more than just military personnel if the ship were to be seriously damaged or destroyed in combat. It was agreed that the science teams would be split into groups across the galaxy into what the Galactic Alliance referred to as _safe zones_. These safe zones were areas of space well off the path the Yuuzhan Vong had chosen on their route to the Core. It didn't mean they would remain safe forever but right now the Vong seemed to be focusing all of their efforts on Vong-forming Coruscant into their new home world.

"Tell the scientists to stay put until we have a look around," she told Ganner. Though both her Force senses and ship sensors had detected nothing out of the ordinary she didn't want to take any chances.

He nodded and jogged back to meet the science vessel that had just touched down.

Checking to make sure her lightsaber was secure on the utility belt of her flight suit, Jaina moved toward the large abandoned facility where the rest of her squadron had already assembled.

[*[*[*[*[*[

The generators that had powered the base on Hoth had either been destroyed by the Empire's attack or fallen into complete disrepair over the years. That meant no electricity or heat as the Jedi from Rogue Squadron completed their walk-through of the base.

"Is it just me or does it feel weird being here?" Jaina said to her brother. "I mean this is where Mom, Dad and Uncle Luke fought against the Empire over twenty years ago." She glanced over at Anakin when she received no response in return. She could see him squinting but from his expression didn't think it had anything to do with the lack of light. "Are you all right?"

"Fine. Just a bit of a headache."

"You're not about to pass out on me, are you?"

"This doesn't have anything to do with Tahiri," he snapped.

"Easy, little brother," said Jaina, taken aback by his short temper. "It was more of a joke than anything. Though you can't blame me for thinking that considering your history."

Anakin grunted but made no other reply.

For Jaina's part she kept on walking, deciding to keep the conversation to a minimum given her brother's mood.

After a bit her comm signaled and Zekk's voice came over it. "_Find anything?_"

"Just a whole bunch of nothing," was her flat response.

"_Same here. We're almost through the lower level," _Zekk continued._ "One we're done we'll meet up with you in the hanger bay._"

"All right. We'll see you soon."

Then there was silence once again, the only sound that could be heard were hers and Anakin's booted feet crunching against the snow. That was until a thunderous howl echoed loudly through the corridor.

"I really hope that's not what I think it is."She knew wampas were native to Hoth and considering how long the base had been abandoned it wasn't too much of a stretch to think the large predators to have taken up residence there.

"Only one way to find out."

Before Jaina could formulate a response, Anakin took off at a run toward the source of the noise.

"Sithspat, Anakin," she swore and ran after him.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Corran was true to his word. The moment they disembarked from their ship, he commed Master Skywalker to let him know they were back and would provide a full report once they paid a visit to the medical wing.

Tahiri felt very much like a child with a chaperone at her side to ensure she did what she was told. It was not a good feeling at all. At the same time she knew she hadn't really left Corran with any other choice. He was probably afraid she wouldn't get medical treatment for it and wear the injury like a badge of honor. So while she may have deserved his chaperoning, it didn't mean she had to like it.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said, her tone exasperated as the Jedi Master continued to stand close by while a nurse prepped a bacta wrap to put her arm in. "Shouldn't you go see Master Skywalker now?"

"It can wait," he said patiently.

Tahiri merely rolled her eyes, not caring that he saw her do it.

At that moment a squad of Galactic Alliance security troops walked into the medical center. Tahiri wasn't sure what they were doing there but she suddenly felt very uneasy by the way several of them had their hands hovering close to their holstered blasters. That uneasy feeling magnified as they marched over to her and Master Horn.

"Jedi Velia you're to come with us," the lead security officer spoke.

"What's this about?" Corran spoke before Tahiri could even open her mouth.

"She's wanted for questioning regarding the Yuuzhan Vong that were found on board."

Corran appeared incredulous. "You can't be serious."

"I'm just following orders, Master Horn," the officer responded.

"Whose orders?" Corran demanded to know.

"I'm not at liberty to share that information." Then the officer turned his attention to Tahiri. "Please come with us, Jedi Veila."

Mind whirling, Tahiri had no choice but to allow herself to be taken into custody.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Jaina came to a screeching halt at the end of a long corridor when she saw the two enormous creatures. Although she had never seen a wampa in person before, she had seen plenty of holos. The two towering ice creatures might have been wampas at one point but she would bet all the credits in the galaxy that the Yuuzhan Vong had genetically altered them, just as they had to creatures on so many other worlds. Jaina was actually having a hard time getting read on them through the Force – likely a result of their _Vongformation._

They were much larger than an average wampa, and in addition to their standard curve horns and claws there was a razor sharp set of spikes protruding all the way down their spines. Their typical yellow eyes were instead blood red. These ice creatures, aggressive by nature, seemed to be fighting amongst themselves – and it was clearly a battle to the death.

That was, of course, until Anakin interfered.

While the wampa-like creatures were so focused on ripping limbs and slashing out with their deadly claws, they took no notice of the faster than light movements of a human Jedi who got behind one of them and used his lightsaber to slice through the ice creature's underbelly. The creature roared in pain as its insides began to leak out.

Jaina, anticipating what was going to happen next could only shout out a warning to Anakin before the injured creature struck. With its massive arm it swung wildly, making contact with Anakin and sending him flying through the air. To Jaina's immense relief, her younger brother somehow managed to land on his feet looking no worse for wear – save for three very large tears in the front of his snow parka.

Now that the Vongformed wampas were aware of Anakin's presence, they seemed to forget all about their own battle. Now, their attention was focused on killing the much smaller prey that had interrupted them. It would be a cold day on Hoth before Jaina let that happen – the irony of the expression not lost on her. Saber raised high, she charged at the thundering beasts who were hoping to make a meal out of her brother.

In the end, the two ice creatures didn't stand a chance against two Jedi. Though Jaina had to admit that Anakin did most of the work. While her Force powers seemed to be thrown off by her inability to properly sense the creature, it didn't seem to affect Anakin at all. If she hadn't been so incensed by the way he had recklessly charged at the ice creatures she would have been impressed. As it was he was lucky to walk away without any broken limbs – or worse.

"I doubt those two were the only ones around here," Anakin said, shutting down his lightsaber. "We should warn the others."

Jaina fixed him with a steely gaze. "What's gotten into you?"

Anakin appeared confused by her question. "What do you mean?"

"You charged at two gigantic, Vongformed creatures on your own. We should have worked out a plan for how to deal with them together."

Anakin scoffed. "Since when did you turn into Jacen?"

"Come off it, Anakin. It's not the end result I'm angry about but how you went about doing it. Seriously, what were you thinking or do you just have a death wish?"

Anakin muttered an incoherent response in return and the only thing that saved him from being reamed out by Jaina some more was when she noticed the crimson color seeping through his parka. The front of it was in ragged shreds from when the wampa clawed at him.

"Let's get you checked out before you bleed to death."

"I'm fine, Jaina."

"People who are fine don't bleed all over the place," she retorted. "Do I need to make it an order?" She added, when he continued to stand there. She had never pulled rank on him before but enough was enough.

Anakin turned and stalked back down the tunnel they had come from previously. Shaking her head, Jaina followed after him.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Well, looks like the Vong made it here after all," Alema remarked, studying the two corpses of the Vongformed wampas or _vompas _as she had started calling them.

"The question is are there more of them here?" Ganner said.

"I think the more pressing question right now is _are the Vong still here_?" Zekk chimed in.

"We've done a complete search of the planet and the rest of the system," Jaina started. "There's nothing to indicate the Yuuzhan Vong are still here."

"It doesn't mean they won't return to see how their experiment worked out," Alema pointed out.

"One thing's for certain, we can't set up a scientific outpost here," Jaina spoke to the group. "It's too risky. And not just with the potential for the Vong to come back. I had a hard time sensing those things through the Force. If there's more of them around here things could get ugly."

"Anakin seemed to handle them all right."

Jaina shot the Twi'lek a look that was anything but friendly. "Do me a favor and don't tell him that when you see him. What he did was stupid, not brave."

"Sounds like somebody's jealous. Worried your little brother is starting to outshine you?"

"Let's round up the scientists before they start settling in," Zekk quickly intervened, playing the peacekeeper. The air was emotionally charged between the two women and he knew neither one of them was likely to back down. "We'll need Anakin's help if he's up for it," he added, knowing that would get Jaina's attention.

Jaina shifted her focus from Alema to Zekk. "I would say just ask him but we both know what his answer would be even if he wasn't."

A slight crease of concern crossed Zekk's forehead. "I thought you said he wasn't that badly injured."

"He wasn't but he was also complaining of headaches when I left him with the med team." Jaina didn't expect any reaction to her words but it would be impossible to miss the worried look pass over Zekk's face. There was also something more she sensed – guilt? What did Zekk have to feel guilty about? More importantly, what did it have to do with her brother? "Is there something I should know?"

Zekk sighed. "Probably – and you're not going to like it."

He proceeded to tell her about Anakin's participation in Danni's little experiment. As Zekk had predicated, Jaina went ballistic.

[*[*[*[*[*[

What had initially started off as a bad dream for Tahiri quickly mutated into a nightmare. Someone in the Galactic Alliance – probably multiple someone's – actually thought _she_ was responsible for the Yuuzhan Vong finding their way onto the _Ralroost_. It was ludicrous. She had done her best to be cooperative and answer every single one of their stupid questions, but when it became painfully clear she was being treated as a suspect and not someone brought in for simple questioning, her temper snapped. It probably didn't help matters that she would throw in the occasional Yuuzhan Vong curse when the questions really started to get on her nerves.

"Where were you at seventeen hundred the day the Yuuzhan Vong attempted to kidnap Jacen Solo?"

Tahiri glared at the captain of Galactic Alliance security sitting directly across from her. "Don't you guys write anything down? I answered that question for the other guy who came in here first."

"Failure to answer any questions may be seen as an admission of guilt," the captain responded, ignoring her remark.

Tahiri would have thrown up her hands in exasperation if they weren't bound in stun cuffs. If that wasn't bad enough there were nutrient cages placed throughout the holding room blocking her ability to use the Force. She felt blind and exposed.

"I was in the Unknown Regions."

"Can anyone verify that?"

"Yes."

"Most of them are Jedi, I presume?"

Tahiri's eyes narrowed. "What does that have to do with anything?"

The captain ignored her question. "You were in Yuuzhan Vong custody for an extended period of time. They remapped your nervous system, correct? Put the personality of a Yuuzhan Vong inside you?"

"I believe the word you're looking for is s_haped_," she said, speaking through clenched teeth.

"If they did that, how do you know you're not under their control even now?"

"Because I'm not!"

"There are many witnesses who have seen you speaking the Yuuzhan Vong language regularly. There was even an incident on Harterra several months ago where a number of Hapan Royal Guards were seriously injured at your hand. The only reason you weren't arrested was because the then Princess Tenel Ka Chume Ta' Djo declined to press charges. Given your history, you'll forgive me for thinking you're a Vong agent working against the Galactic Alliance from the inside."

"That's quite enough!" A new voice exclaimed before Tahiri could even start to defend herself all over again.

Corran and Anakin's mother stood in the doorway. Neither one of them appeared happy.

"Ambassador Solo this is a private interrogation," the captain spoke, getting to his feet.

"This interrogation is over," Leia responded in an even tone. "Release Jedi Veila now."

"I can't do that."

"Of course you can, because I've gone all the way up to Chief of State Omas and no one seems to know where this order to take her into custody came from. Take those stun cuffs off her now or you'll be facing your own court martial," Leia threatened.

At Ambassador Solo's threat, the captain hurriedly removed the binders from Tahiri's wrists.

"Let's get you out of here," Leia addressed her.

Without so much as a glance back at the captain, Tahiri marched out of the holding room. She wasn't sure how long she had been in there – probably only hours – but she was desperate to be as far away from that area as quickly as possible, and not just because of the ysalamiri either.

Corran placed a hand on her shoulder, fixing her with a concerned look. "Are you all right?"

"I've been better," she replied

"It's over now," Leia said to her.

"I'm not so sure about that."

"There were no charges brought against you. Moreover I can't find anyone willing to admit to having you brought in for questioning in the first place. If no one will back that up there's no case against you and this will go away. I promise you I will find out how this happened in the first place."

Tahiri regarded the ambassador closely. Anakin's mother had clearly gone to great lengths to get her out of custody – apparently going all the way to the Chief of State. Would she really do all that just for her?

"Thank you, Ambassador Solo. I appreciate everything you've done to help me," she said, sounding truly grateful. "I hope I didn't cause you too much trouble."

Leia gave her a warm smile. "I was more than happy to help once Corran explained the misunderstanding," she told the teen. "You've had a day you probably want to forget. Why don't you come back to our quarters for a Solo dinner, minus Jaina and Anakin?"

"Thanks for the offer but I'll be fine on my own," Tahiri politely declined.

"I know that you and Anakin are going through a bit of a rough patch," Leia started, believing she knew the reason for the blond Jedi's refusal. "I also know it's because you made an incredibly selfless choice in not knowing how else to help him. Regardless of where things stand now between the two of you, you're still important to our family."

After Leia's kind words Tahiri felt she was left with no choice but to agree to dinner with the Solo's. Though it would be strange without Anakin around it was better than being alone.

[*[*[*[*[*[

"You willingly volunteered for this?"

Anakin hopped down from the fold up medical table where his vompa wounds had been treated. "Someone had to."

"That someone doesn't always have to be you, Anakin," Jaina sighed, her tone momentarily losing some of its edge.

"It was my decision to make. Stop treating me like I'm your kid brother. I'm an adult and can make my own decisions." He turned to glare at Zekk. "Thanks for telling her by the way."

"Anakin, you're right the decision was yours to make," Zekk started, earning himself a steely gaze from Jaina. "But that serum in your system has clearly started affecting you – and not for the better. I think Danni needs to do a more thorough examination of you because contrary to what she told us there are definitely side effects to it."

"Which shouldn't be surprising considering there's a whole bunch of Vong stuff in it," Alema spoke up, putting her two cents in. "We know what happens when Vong experiment on humans and other aliens. I can't imagine the affects being any better when our science geeks are the ones doing the experimenting."

"It wasn't Vong stuff," Anakin corrected. "It was just lambents."

"That doesn't matter. It's still Vong-related."

"I'm going to find Danni," Jaina told the group. "You stay here," she ordered Anakin.

"You've got to be kidding me," Anakin grumbled.

Jaina turned to the Twi'lek who she had never really trusted and had gotten into an argument with not thirty minutes earlier. But if there was one thing she could count on it was Alema's desire to protect and look out for her brother. Despite all her faults, she really did care for him. By her words just now Jaina was convinced Alema thought this whole experiment thing was as bad an idea as she did. That's what made up her mind. "Alema, watch him."

"You got it," Alema responded with a nod.

Anakin's exasperated expression was the last thing Jaina saw before she left in search of Danni Quee. While her brother may have volunteered for this she wasn't too pleased with the scientist for searching him out as a test subject.

[*[*[*[*[*[

"I think your mom forgot that I'm a Jedi," Tahiri spoke as she and Jacen walked through the mostly deserted corridors of the Galactic Alliance's flagship. "I know I haven't been officially knighted but I think I can make it back to my quarters on my own."

"After what happened today I think she's just being cautious. You know you've got nothing to worry about, right?" He added, sensing that was the reason behind Tahiri's sudden silence.

"Even if nothing comes of it, I'm sure it won't take long for news to spread that I was wanted for questioning in connection to the Yuuzhan Vong. It's not like I'm not used to being looked at like I'm some sort of Yuuzhan Vong sleeper agent," she said, absently running her fingers over the three vertical scars on her forehead.

"People fear what they don't know."

"Master Horn said the same thing to me once."

"He's right, which is why I think if other people knew some good came from your shaping – your ability to heal – it might change how they view you."

"Yeah, right. They would just see me as even more of a freak show."

"Well, then forget about what everyone else thinks," Jacen said suddenly, stopping in his tracks to look at Tahiri. "Do this for yourself. Every Jedi has some sort of innate talent or natural ability. Maybe it just took for you being shaped to find yours. You just need to find a balance between that Yuuzhan Vong power and your own."

"Sounds simple enough, but once you get in my head it's a lot harder to manage."

"I'm willing to give it a try if you are. I meant what I said, Tahiri. I want to help you."

"Why would you want to help me?" She asked, genuinely curious. She and Jacen had never been close and she wasn't even sure she would consider him a friend. To her, he was just Anakin's older brother; a person he had once looked up to – admired even. Times had changed though and now it was a rarity for them to see eye-to-eye on anything.

"My reasons are selfish actually. Maybe by helping you I can try and repair some of the damaged relationship I have with my brother," Jacen explained.

Tahiri mulled over his words, much like she had when he had made his offer to her initially. She could already hear Master Horn's stern voice in her head telling her this was not a good idea. But he was also the one who had told her she needed to find a balance between Tahiri Veila and Riina Kwaad in the first place. If she got a little help from Jacen finding that balance, then what was the harm? Then maybe some good could actually come from her ordeal with the Yuuzhan Vong.

If Jacen was offering his help, then there was one thing he needed to be aware of. She didn't want to have to tell him about Riina but if this was going to work it meant acknowledging why it hadn't worked when she had originally tried with Master Horn.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Jaina wasn't sure which she found to be more disturbing – the fact that her little brother willingly let himself become a guinea pig for some untested serum that would supposedly give Jedi their edge back when dealing with Vong; or the person who administered it to him vehemently denying all knowledge of having done it.

She exchanged a look with Zekk, who had been present at the time when Danni had administered it to Anakin. Her brother wasn't lying and neither was Zekk. That should have made the decision easy for Jaina. The problem was she couldn't detect any falseness behind Danni's denial.

"In case you've forgotten, my first encounter with the Yuuzhan Vong was when one of them wanted to sacrifice me to their gods. Believe me I haven't sided with them and I'm certainly not working for the Peace Brigade," the normally level headed scientist said hotly. "I would think that after all this time you would know me a little better than that. I certainly wouldn't go around looking for test subjects for a serum we haven't even finished lab trials for."

"Look, we know the Yuuzhan Vong have various forms of mind control – the slave seed for one," spoke Zekk. "Maybe you – "

"When would they have had an opportunity to implant one in me? I'm a scientist, stuck in my cozy lab not out on the front lines like all of you. I'm not a Yuuzhan Vong spy and I'm definitely not under their control."

"We want to believe you, Danni," said Jaina earnestly, "but you've got to see how this looks from our perspective. What were you doing before Anakin and Zekk came in for their exam?"

"I was – " Danni stopped cold, her forehead crinkling. After several moments she looked at Jaina and Zekk, her expression alarmed. "I don't remember."

Jaina and Zekk exchanged worried looks before Jaina turned back to the scientist saying, "what's the last thing you remember?"

Danni paused, clearly trying to recall her last memory. "I was running some tests on Jacen," she said finally. "It was just to be sure there were no traces of the Sickness left in his body."

"Danni, would you be willing to let me take a look at your mind? Jedi have a way of retrieving lost memories."

The blond scientist swallowed and nodded.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Zekk spoke out of the corner of his mouth.

"No, not really," she muttered in response to his question. It wasn't as if Jaina had ever had the opportunity to try something like this before. Searching around in people's heads for lost or blocked memories was really only something that should have been attempted by a Jedi trained in that area, otherwise they might end up doing more harm than good. But she was desperate to understand what in the Force was going on. Plus if Danni was comprised in some way they needed to know, so Jaina supposed there was no harm in taking a quick peek at the scientist's mind.

"You're not inspiring a whole lot of confidence here," said Danni, looking nervous.

"Don't worry. It won't hurt." _At least it shouldn't_, Jaina added silently.

She got in front of Danni and closed her eyes.

"Um, should I do something?"

"Just relax," Jaina instructed her. "Focus on the memory you have of running the tests on Jacen and I'll take it from there."

"Okay," she responded, sounding as unsure as she looked.

Not really sure where to start, Jaina let the Force guide her through Danni's mind. The former ExGal scientist was anything but relaxed – not that Jaina could really blame her. Since Danni had an innate gift for the Force, her mental shields were stronger than the average person. However, she had received only very limited training, so Jaina gently parted the mental partitions and moved deeper into her mind.

She could see Danni recall the memory of walking to the medical center; then conversing with her twin as she examined him; then –

Jaina's eyes snapped open and Danni recoiled in pain.

"Are you all right?" Jaina immediately asked her.

The blond nodded. "For a moment I thought my head was going to explode but it passed once you stopped what you were doing."

Zekk glanceed back and forth between the two women. "What happened?"

"As soon as I tried to retrieve Danni's memories it seemed to trigger something," Jaina replied, frowning deeply. "It's like her memories are blocked and someone's programmed in a painful reaction to kick in if she tries to remember them. Unless the Vong have a new kind of memory control that we don't know about there's only one other type of person I can think of who could do this."

She didn't need to say the word out loud. Judging by the look on Zekk's face he had already come to the same conclusion. The only other person capable of something like this would be a Jedi.

[*[*[*[*[*[

As the ruler of sixty-three star systems it made traveling in Tenal Ka's beloved ship, the _Rock Dragon_, completely out of the question. She had no choice but to travel in a fully armed battle dragon, complete with crew and her own personal bodyguards. To travel in anything less would be foolhardy of someone in her position.

Officially, she was on the _Ralroost_ to begin negotiations for the Hapan Consortium to join the Galactic Alliance. Unofficially, there was a much more personal reason for her making the journey to the Imperial Remnant.

The highest ranking military and diplomatic officials within the Galactic Alliance, who were not off on other missions, were present. Chief of State Cal Omas stepped forward first to greet her.

With a genuine smile, which was uncommon among any political officials the Dathomirian warrior had ever dealt with, Cal Omas lightly bowed his head. "Your highness," he said in formal greeting.

"Chief of State Omas," Tenal Ka returned the greeting. "Thank you for arranging this."

"I think it is I who owe you thanks. I was both surprised and delighted by the news that the Hapan Consortium would like membership to the Galactic Alliance."

"It is likely only a matter of time before the Hapes Cluster draws the ire of the Yuuzhan Vong. It is my belief that we will present a much stronger threat to them if we join our resources and present a unified front. I was most impressed by how you managed to convince what remains of the Empire to fight alongside you. If the Consortium were to join, you would have two of the largest military fleets at your disposal."

"The credit is fully owed to Ambassador Solo," said Cal, indicating to the petite brown-haired woman at his right.

"It is good to see you again, your Highness," Leia said, fixing her with a warm smile.

"You as well, Ambassador," Tenal Ka returned, unable to resist smiling in return. Aside from her parents, friendly faces within the Consortium were few and far between.

"You've come a long way, Queen Mother," Omas continued. "My aid will show you to your quarters and take care of anything else you may need during your stay. I would be honored if you would join me and a few other officials for an informal dinner tonight. Tomorrow we can start discussing matters of our alliance."

"The honor would be mine, Chief of State," Tenal Ka acknowledged with a slight bow of her head.

A tall human female stepped forward, presumably Omas's aid, saying, "if you'll come with me, Queen Mother."

Tenal Ka, flanked by her personal group of body guards proceeded to follow Omas's aid. As she walked, Tenal Ka subtly scanned the small crowd that had assembled to greet her. Although she recognized most – largely because of her detailed political training – the one person she had hoped would be there was not present.

Her arrival had not been a secret. In fact she had told him about it during one of their holo conversations. She reasoned there was probably a perfectly logical explanation for Jacen's absence. After all, he had duties and responsibilities just like her. She would just have to see him later.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Alema looked at Anakin, marveling at his calmness. Only hours earlier it had been explained that Danni had been basically brainwashed into getting him to take the Vong serum. The only thing worse than that was she had neglected to tell him at the time of injection that it also contained traces of Vong DNA. Not only was that completely disturbing and creepy but judging by Anakin's reaction to the whole thing it seemed like he still would have volunteered to take part in the experiment.

"You seem to be handling all of this pretty well," she said to him. If Alema had been in his boots she would have gone on a rage, desperate to find out who was behind it and make sure they got what they deserved.

Anakin flashed her a smile but there was no trace of humor in it. "People have been trying to kill me since before I was even born," he told her. "The fact that someone orchestrated this whole thing is original, but if they were actual a decent assassin they wouldn't have tried to enhance my Force abilities."

"It doesn't bother you that this would-be assassin is probably a Jedi? I know the galaxy is pretty messed up right now but I thought the one thing we could count on was no Jedi-on-Jedi violence. We all share a common enemy even if we don't agree on the methods of dealing with them."

"Maybe this serum will help with dealing with them."

Alema's expression turned to one of complete disbelief. "You've got an untested science experiment running through your veins and you think that's a good thing? Has it also affected your hearing because I clearly heard Danni when she mentioned all the potential side effects. Increased aggression, violent behavior, losing the ability to rationalize," Alema said, ticking off each item in succession on her fingers. "And those are just the things they know about. I guarantee you nothing good can come from being injected with something that has Vong DNA in it."

"I can use the Force to try and control those things. If this can help the Jedi it will be worth it."

Alema shook her head. "First Tahiri with her shaping and then you allowing Vong DNA to be injected into your body. You two really are made for each other. Hey, where do you think you're going?" She said suddenly as without warning Anakin got to his feet and made to walk out of the room.

"I don't need a babysitter, Alema," Anakin said irritably from the doorway.

"Your sister seems to think you do and I'm kind of inclined to agree with her. Danni said this stuff has to work its way out of your system – and that could take days. Until that happens you shouldn't be wandering around alone."

"You don't trust me?"

"Don't say it like that, Anakin. You're about the only person I do trust in this kriffin' galaxy. But that stuff inside you I don't. I'll put you in binders and chain you to a bunk if I have to. Who knows, you might even like it. I know I would."

"Alema..." He trailed off, looking embarrassed.

The Twi'lek chuckled. "Don't worry, I promised Jaina I would be on my best behavior while I kept an eye on you. If you want to talk about trust issues your sister has plenty of them. Seems to think I can't be trusted to be alone with you now that you and Vong girl are on a break or whatever it is that you're doing. What she doesn't realize is that it's no fun for me if you two aren't together."

"I really wish you wouldn't do things to make her jealous on her purpose," Anakin said, frowning slightly. "It's been hard enough getting Tahiri to accept that we're friends."

Alema snickered. "Vong girl's jealous of me? I think it should be the other way around. Now are you going to stay put or do I need to find a pair of stun cuffs?"

Feeling a bit like he was under house arrest, Anakin desisted and went to sit back down.

[*[*[*[*[*[

Tahiri was calm, peaceful even. She took everything she had learned from Cighal – from regulating her breathing to mentally picturing a cut repairing itself cell by cell – as she let her hands hover over Jacen's arm. When she opened her eyes, the wound on his arm was gone leaving nothing more than a dried crimson color behind.

"That was easy enough," she said, from where she sat on the floor in her quarters. Watching Jacen's expression change, she added, "and don't lecture me about arrogance, please."

"I told you we would start with something simple. The more severe the injury the more you draw on the power that belongs to Riina. I don't think you're ready for that yet."

Tahiri suppressed the urge to shudder, feeling like a cold chill had just made its way up her spine at the mention of her darker, Yuuzhan Vong personality. She hadn't felt comfortable confiding in Jacen about Riina, especially when she hadn't even shared that with Anakin yet. Then again, after spending some time with her he probably would have figured it out on his own. His initial reaction was more or less what she had expected – shock, concern – but he didn't have any second thoughts about helping her with her abilities. If anything, it seemed to make him more willing to help her.

"You won't be until you're ready to face your fears," he continued. "If you let your fear control you then you let Riina control you."

Tahiri hugged her knees to her chest. "I'm not scared of her – well, not really. She doesn't belong in my head and I want her out. She makes me question everything I know. I have memories that are so clear of playing with crèche mates, growing up with a family. Then I have other memories that feel just as real – like living with the Sand People in the desert, meeting Anakin at the Jedi Academy. Those feel real too. But both can't be real and sometimes it's hard to tell the implanted memories from the real ones."

"Maybe they're both real," Jacen said, earning him a sharp glare from the blond. "I just meant that the memories they implanted you with did belong to someone – they're real for someone else."

"I don't want to be anything like her. She's vile and cruel and nothing like me."

"Maybe it's less about finding a balance with Riina and more about accepting her. Tahiri, I can't make Riina go away – no one can. The reason you suffer from moments of lost control where Riina takes over is because you're fighting so hard to bury something that is actually a part of you now."

"So you're saying I should just lay out the welcome mat for Riina and offer her permanent residence in my mind? Sorry, but that's not going to happen, Jacen."

"Tahiri, you have a lot of anger and rage toward your shaping – not that I blame you – but you have it within your power to channel that into something better."

"You mean my Yuuzhan Vong super healing powers," she remarked wryly.

Jacen nodded as he pulled himself to his feet. "Think about what I just said and if you want to continue we'll meet again tomorrow."

"Are you sure you won't be too busy with a certain Queen Mother?" She teased. "Come on, Jacen. Everyone knew she was coming here today," she added at sensing his embarrassment.

"I'm sure Tenal Ka will be spending most of her time working on the terms of Hapes joining the Galactic Alliance."

"And I'm sure she would much rather spend it with you."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Tahiri," he said and left her quarters.

[*[*[*[*[*[

After being thoroughly searched by two of Tenal Ka's personal body guards, Jacen was finally allowed into the suite being occupied by the Queen Mother. She promptly ordered the guards flanking Jacen to leave and within moments it was just the two of them alone.

A hundred different things passed through Jacen's mind for what to say. He suddenly felt very nervous and wasn't quite sure why. It had nothing to do with the fact that since he had last seen her she had become the ruler of sixty-three star systems. First and foremost, Tenal Ka was his best friend. Her new status wouldn't change any of that for him. It wasn't as if they hadn't talked almost daily since she found out he was free from the carbonite. But something felt very different seeing her in person as opposed to conversing over the holonet.

Tenal Ka made the first move. Without a word, she embraced Jacen. For several long seconds, he was thrown by the uncharacteristic display of emotion from the warrior queen. Once he recovered though, he returned the hug. For the first time in as long as he could remember, Jacen felt truly relaxed and content with Tenal Ka in his arms.

When they finally let go of each other, they couldn't quite meet the other's gaze and an unusual awkward silence passed between them. Jacen couldn't remember there ever being an awkward moment between them – except for maybe that time she had kissed him down by the lake after they had defeated the Diversity Alliance when they both had still been students at his Uncle's Jedi academy. At that time his feelings for her – as strong as they had felt – had been little more than a teenage crush. Now that they were older those feelings were much different. If he'd ever had any lingering doubt about what she felt for him, it vanished in those few short moments they'd had together before he'd been encased in carbonite.

"Your guards are very thorough," he finally spoke.

"As they should be. They've been groomed for this role their entire lives. I would much prefer to travel alone but it was a requirement of my coming here."

"I suppose I have you to thank for being allowed to keep my lightsaber."

"It was most challenging to convince them that you were not an assassin."

Jacen blinked. "Did you just tell a joke?"

"I believe I did, friend Jacen. I've found having a sense of humor has helped me to cope with much of the political backstabbing and bickering I am forced to deal with."

Jacen chuckled. "Being Queen Mother turning out to be everything you thought it would be?"

"This is a fact."

For the first time, Jacen took notice of the stack of data pads piled high on the desk in the room. "Light reading?" He joked.

"It is for the discussions around the Hapes Consortium joining the Galactic Alliance."

"I know how important that is," Jacen started. "We can catch up more later. Maybe we can meet up for evening meal," he suggested, his tone casual.

"I would like that very much, friend Jacen, but Cal Omas has already invited me to join him for dinner tonight."

Jacen tried not to let his disappointment show. "Another night then."

"I would also prefer not to attend this diplomatic function on my own. Would you like to escort me?"

Jacen grinned at her. "I'd like that very much, your Highness."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Nom Anor couldn't help but be immensely pleased with the way his plan was unfolding. After many foiled attempts to kidnap the Solo children he was confident his current arrangement would turn out in his favor. He would deliver what Supreme Overlord Shimrra wanted so desperately – perhaps even more so than finishing his conquest of this galaxy.

The brilliance of his plan had also brought to light something he had not known previously. The Jedi who had been shaped seemed to be exhibiting powers that were directly related to that blasphemous act. Although the Solo's were Nom Anor's primary target he had developed a certain fascination for the Jedi known as Tahiri Veila. He was sure she would prove most useful and was already anticipating the ways in which she could be used against her own kind. Her mental state was quite unpredictable but her ability to absorb pain – both mental and physical – would make her the perfect Yuuzhan Vong weapon. She needed some more guidance but was developing just fine under the tutelage of one of the Solo twins.

His past failures had taught him not to contact the Supreme Overlord until he had the Solo's in his possession. So long as his plan continued on its current course that transmission to Shimrra would quickly be upon him. Much of it, however, was dependent on the insider he had on the _Ralroost_.

From the beginning, he had to closely monitor his spy. Through Nom Anor's connection to him, he sensed the spy's mind continued to be strong even after the implantation of the genetically modified slave seed. Unlike the traditional slave seed, it would not turn the individual into a mindless drone. In fact, it was as much a communication device as it was a control mechanism. The organic device allowed Nom Anor to hear the thoughts of the individual along with the conversations going on around him. In effect, Nom Anor knew everything just as if he were on the _Ralroost _himself. The seed was created with a matching receiver. Nom Anor simply attached that receiver to his temple in order to _listen in_ and provide instructions. His method was the ultimate in covert infiltration. Yes, the device implanted in the individual's brain would show up in any routine medical scans but he had taken steps to ensure that did not happen.

While his informant was still able to move around without suspicion, Nom Anor had a few more tasks for him to complete before he gave the order to execute his overall end game.

[*[*[*[*[*[

"I am sorry you had to waste most of you day in a political treaty meeting," Tenal Ka said to Jacen as he escorted her back to her quarters. Several feet behind them, giving them the illusion that they were walking alone, was her contingent of body guards.

"It wasn't a waste. I know there's a lot at stake here. Hapes is on the verge of becoming the largest member of the Galactic Alliance. I'm glad you asked me to come along and sit in on the session."

"My reasons were purely selfish," she said, lowering her voice so it could not be heard by anyone but Jacen. "I feel as though we have barely seen one another in the time I've been here." Tenal Ka knew it was mostly due to her hectic schedule – she didn't stop being the Queen Mother simply because she was light years away from her throne.

"We still have time. You're not leaving for Hapes for another few days, right?"

"This is a fact."

Jacen grinned. "See, plenty of time. Maybe by then your legion of bodyguards will have warmed up to me." He glanced back at the stern faces of the lithe females walking silently behind them.

"That is most unlikely."

"I could always try winning them over with my sense of humor."

An amused look crossed Tenal Ka's features. "That would be unwise, Jacen."

"It worked on you, didn't it?"

"You are imagining things."

It felt good to talk this openly – this freely with Jacen. For a time Tenal Ka had feared she would never get the chance to speak to him again. She had almost forgotten how at ease he could make her feel – like she didn't have the responsibility of billions of people resting on her shoulders.

Occasionally she wondered what their relationship would have been like if she had stayed on Yavin Four after completing her training as opposed to returning to Hapes. It was pointless to dwell on the past though. If anything, their separation didn't seem to have any lasting effects on their friendship. They both had certainly grown up since their days at the Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy – Jacen especially. He was no longer the tousle-haired, carefree boy who used to tell her horrible jokes at every opportunity. He had matured, was more introspective and had developed a strong stance regarding his views of the Force.

She understood that people grew up and changed but sometimes she wished he was more like the Jacen she had shared countless adventures with as they trained to become Jedi. She saw glimpses of it in him every so often – like now – with their banter back and forth. Maybe one day she would learn why his personality was so drastically different now. One thing was certain, regardless of the person he was now she was beyond grateful that he was alive and well. Tenal Ka never wanted to know what it was like to live without Jacen Solo.

When they arrived at her quarters, she asked him if he wanted to come inside. It was early still and she was hopeful they could share evening meal together again.

"I would but I have somewhere else I need to be," he politely declined. "You're disappointed," he noted at seeing the subtle change in her expression.

"I know that you have other responsibilities, Jacen," she said, choosing not to comment on his remark.

"If it wasn't important, I would stay," he told her, his brandy brown eyes serious.

"I would not ask you to break another commitment."

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yes, tomorrow."

Just like that Jacen was gone and Tenal Ka was left standing alone outside her quarters.

She felt foolish and selfish for wishing he had stayed. He was right – she was disappointed. Not just by his leaving though. He seemed almost distant when they were together. Perhaps she had read too much into the emotional reunion they'd shared only days earlier but she was almost certain that wasn't the case. There had to be another explanation for Jacen's distance. She felt their years of friendship would allow her to call him on it the next time they met.

[*[*[*[*[*[

For someone who could absorb pain and suffering – whether it was mental or physical – the _Ralroost's _medical ward was like an all-you-could-eat buffet. Burns, broken limbs, internal bleeding and other injuries had awaited Tahiri when she had arrived there. Jacen had made sure the medical staff were preoccupied with other patients as Tahiri moved into one of the semi private rooms.

She glanced back uncertainly at Jacen.

"You said you were ready for this."

"I know."

"Then what's wrong?"

She swallowed. "I'm worried about my control."

She needed to provide no further explanation than that. In their sessions together Jacen had seen what it did to her to take on someone else's pain – to claim it as if it were her own. As if contending with her Riina side wasn't trouble enough she had to add pain addict to her list of freakish qualities – all thanks to her shaping.

"Riina can't control you as long as you accept her. Remember that. Focus on the act itself and not on the pain. That's where you get into trouble." He smiled reassuringly at her. "I'll be here with you the whole time. If something happens I'll step in."

She only felt marginally better after hearing that. But she was the one who had insisted she was ready for more of a challenge. What better way to test her progress than against two unconscious humans. According to their medical charts, they had both suffered serious brain injuries in battle. Their lives were effectively over, unless she could do something about it...

She moved closer to one of the beds. She stood there unmoving for several moments before finally laying a hand on one of the injured soldiers. Tahiri closed her eyes and concentrated. She still couldn't accept Riina but she had learned to tolerate her existence. At least for now that seemed to be enough to prevent her from breaking through to her conscious mind and taking over. Focusing on the task – as Jacen had put it – was not nearly as easy. How could she take on someone else's pain and not treat it as if it were her own?

It was in that moment she came to the startling realization that although she seemed to be keeping Riina's personality under wraps that wasn't the case at all. Riina might not be screaming in her head, telling her what to do but she was just as present as ever. Riina was the one who embraced pain, not Tahiri – and she wanted more.

Summoning the Force, Tahiri reached out for the other body lying still in the next bed over. It was no longer about trying to repair damaged body parts. Both Riina and Tahiri didn't care about that. They didn't take away their pain to ease their suffering – they did it because it was the Yuuzhan Vong way to embrace pain. If these worthless infidels would cower at that feeling then they didn't deserve it. They were pathetic and weak. She should kill them where they lay, put an end to their miserable existence. Just as she had the power to take away their pain, she knew she could also throw it back at them and revel in the suffering she could inflict.

She was seconds away from doing just that when a powerful pull on her mind broke her concentration and therefore her connection to Riina. Woken as if from a trance, she found staring up at a stern-faced Corran Horn.

[*[*[*[*[*[

"I know you don't think this is necessary but it is," Jaina said to her brother on their way to the _Ralroost's_ medical center.

Ganner and Zekk were on their way to brief her Uncle on the tampering of Danni's mind. There was also the question of whether someone might be specifically targeting her brother – as Danni had asked Anakin and only him to test out the serum. Jaina planned to join up with them once Anakin got checked out.

"I feel fine," Anakin insisted. "No more headaches."

"It wasn't just the headaches," Jaina said as they neared their destination. "Your behavior – your entire personality changed."

"For the better."

Jaina stopped dead in her tracks and fixed him with a hard look. "Do you feel responsible for Chewbacca's death?"

Anakin was taken aback by her question. He had to pause for several seconds as he collected his thoughts. "I didn't have a choice. Everyone on the _Falcon_ would have died if I hadn't taken off when I did."

"You didn't answer my question."

"No, I don't feel responsible."

"What about Tahiri? How do you feel about your current situation with her?"

He gave a half-hearted shrug. "It is what it is. There's nothing I can do to change things."

"See, that's exactly what I'm talking about. If I couldn't sense you through the Force I'd swear you were a Yuuzhan Vong in disguise and not my little brother. If you were feeling like yourself you would have given me very different answers. You even feel off to me when I try to read you. That serum is still affecting you, Anakin."

"You would rather I walk around feeling guilty for every little thing?" Anakin shot at her. "I do feel different but its better this way. I was so paralyzed before by guilt and feeling responsible for things that either weren't my fault or beyond my control. Those emotions were only crippling me."

"No, those emotions were what made you _you_," Jaina corrected him. "You're like the anti-Anakin now. The Anakin I know and love is reckless and impulsive, yes, but his heart is always in the right place. He's motivated to do the right thing and makes the hard choices where others decide to take an easier path. The person you are now is cold and unfeeling – like you've just shut off everything inside of you. Sure, maybe you can sense Yuuzhan Vong now and maybe it makes you more effective in fighting them but at what cost? I would take the old Anakin over the new one any day."

Jaina could see he clearly disagreed with her. It worried her to see how much a single dose of that serum had changed him. Danni had assured her that it already seemed to be breaking down in his system – though not fast enough in Jaina's opinion. She wondered if Anakin had been in his right frame of mind if he could have used the Force to help speed things along. She would just be glad to have the old Anakin back soon. Until that happened she would just need to keep a close eye on him.

As she expected, Anakin opened his mouth to rebuttal her comments but the sound of shouting voices distracted him. It was out of place to hear that in the medical ward. Stranger still, the voices belonged to Corran Horn and their brother Jacen.


End file.
